The Journey
by Puppetjax
Summary: In this dark story, the Pound Puppies swear to find Mel, a sad and lonely puppy, a home, which proves to be the greatest challenge they've ever faced.
1. The Ceremony

A Word Before I Begin: My next story will be my last. I will consistently update this one and the next one as often as possible and I will still make small "episodes". But these will be released as new chapters to one story rather than being released as individual stories. That's the only thing that's changing. This will be one continuous story that I will update with new parts. Thank you for reading my content, and remember, don't be afraid to tell me what you think of it!

The Journey

"Alright, gang! It's almost time." Lucky shouted excitedly. They were all getting ready for a very special adoption. They were about to hit a big milestone. "It's hard to believe we've placed this many dogs!" Squirt commented. "And I'm the lucky puppy!" Said a puppy proudly. "That's right, Platinum. Congratulations!" Cookie said back. "Hey, guys! They're here!" Informed Niblet. Reacting to his information, they all ecstatically ran upstairs to view the arrival of Platinum's newfound person.

A car drove through the gate. It was an old '80s car with a metal insignia on the hood. A woman and her daughter quickly got out of the car. Mr. McLeish suddenly stormed out of the building nearby. "This better be important. I'm missing the rerun of my favorite episode of Inspector Prunepants!" He declared angrily. "Yeah, hi. We're here for my daughter, Kelly. We've come for the puppy." She said. "Yeah, sure. Why else would you be here, for a cat?" He replied sarcastically. He then turned and grumpily marched up to the kennel, grabbed Platinum, and handed him to Kelly. "There. That's the only puppy we have. Now, shoo." He continued. Despite Mr. McLeish's attitude towards him, Kelly seemed to have already bonded with him. "Look, mom! He's just what I wanted!" Kelly shouted excitedly to her mom. Platinum barked twice, further justifying her exclamation. "That's great, sweetie!" Her mom replied. "Now, let's go before that strange man gets any more hostile." She continued. She mostly said that for herself; she didn't expect her daughter to understand. They got back into their car; Platinum giving the Pound Puppies a look of joy and ecstasy. "Wait for it..." Lucky commanded. The family started their car. "Wait for it..." He repeated. They then drove their car out of the pound and to their home. "Now!" He shouted.

They all rushed downstairs. Confetti cannons went off everywhere. Noisemakers sounded. A great big cheer was made as well. "Congratulations, gang! Ten thousand dogs placed!" Lucky shouted. They all let out another cheer. "And, for this accomplishment, I have a special surprise announcement for all of you!" He said. He waited a bit to build up the suspense, until he finally announced it. "The D-7 is coming to personally give us a newly-created award in our honor for our record-breaking accomplishment!" He announced. Yet another cheer was let out. "They'll be arriving any moment. All we need to do is wait." He said. But suddenly, they heard a voice. "No need to wait; we're here!" A dog stepped through one of the tunnels, revealing that the voice was coming from Dash Whippet.

He walked through to the room he was in followed by the seven members of the D7, including Dolly. "Why, hello, everyone! Congratulations!" She said. "Well, thank you, Dolly!" Strudel replied. "Well, I think you all know why we are here." Dash went straight down to business, but suddenly, he smiled. "You all do not know how much we couldn't wait to give you this award, so we won't." He said with a chuckle. One of the members brought out a cart with small item covered by a tarp. Then, the D7 sat in a row like they do for formal ceremonies. Dash began a short speech. "Shelter 17. From the beginning, you have never ceased to amaze me. So, for your undeniable dedication and for your recent record-setting placement agenda, I give you:" He pulled the tarp off the cart, revealing an award with the Shelter 17 logo placed high on top of it. "The brand-new 'Shelter 17 Placement Award!'" He finished. The D7 cheered. Dolly decided to comment. "We hope you continue to surprise us and we wish you good luck on your future endeavors here at Shelter 17!" She said. Dash suddenly said something. "Well, that was splendid, but that's unfortunately all the time we have. We'll see you next time!" He and the D7 slowly made their way to the exit. Even with them gone, the happy attitude filling the pound remained. Everyone couldn't keep their excitement in.

"I really can't believe it!" Cookie exclaimed. "Yeah. I feel like we can do anything, now! Don't you, Lucky?" Squirt asked. "Of course." He replied. They all followed each other upstairs. Lucky walked proudly to the front of the fence enclosing the kennel. He breathed in and sighed. Pretty soon, the rest of them joined him. "Well gang, I suppose it's time to start a new chapter here at Shelter 17. We've reached our peak, but it's only going to get better from here." Lucky spoke triumphantly. The other four smiled, taking in Lucky's words, making them seem almost heroic.

Just as they all began to relax, the gates opened suddenly, startling them. However, an unusually long amount of time passed before someone finally entered. It was Ketchum. He drove through more slowly than usual. When he finally parked in the middle of the lot, McLeish bursted out of the building. "Ketchum?" He asked in confusion. "It was supposed to be your day off!" He said. Ketchum finally stepped out of the van and lethargically marched to the back, opened up the double doors, and went back without taking the puppy in the back out. Ketchum then just stared at McLeish, as if he was waiting for him to do something. McLeish took one look back at Ketchum and saw someone who was obviously not in the mood to deal with any nonsense at the moment, so he realized what he had to do. He reached into the back and grabbed the puppy who was in there. However, he did this in a manner that obstructed the Pound Puppies' view. He walked to the kennel and put the puppy down in front of the gate. It was only then that they managed to catch sight.

She was a puppy with a short, dark gray coat. Her hair was longer at the top of her head, and it was parted in a way that covered one side of her face. There was also a neon purple strand running through her bangs. Lucky looked at her in slight shock, as he's never really seen a puppy with such conveying attributes. None of them really had, but Lucky, just by looking at her, felt something weird. He felt like she wasn't just an ordinary puppy.

McLeish opened the gate, but the puppy was a little reluctant to enter. She looked frightened, or a little sad. "Well, what are you waiting for?" McLeish asked impatiently. He shoved her in with his foot and slammed the gate. She got knocked over, but she got back up quickly. McLeish left and went back inside the building, but Ketchum hesitated. He just looked at the puppy through the van window. After a little while, he finally drove off.

The new puppy sighed sadly and walked slowly to the edge of the kennel. "Hello, and welcome to Shelter 17." Lucky said to her calmly. "What!?" She suddenly shouted and stood up. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked worriedly. "No no, calm down. Don't worry." Reassured Cookie. "Oh, okay." She said. She seemed less worried, but didn't look satisfied. She let out another sigh and laid back down. "So, we never got your name." Lucky told her. "Please, if you will, I don't mean to interrupt; it's just that I've been through a lot in the last few weeks. I just need some time to think; alone." She explained sadly. "Oh, okay. Very well then." Lucky agreed to leave her alone. "Just come to us when you're ready. We're here to help." Lucky told her. He then left her alone.


	2. Mel

_"C'mon! We're almost here!" She heard. She giggled and followed close behind him, trying to keep up. They soon arrived at a small building at the corner of a street. "After starving for weeks, check out what I found!" He said. They walked around to the back to reveal a small dumpster. "The chef of this restaurant throws out all of his rejects here." He explained. They could smell the strong aroma of European cuisine. He grabbed a bag, but seeing him struggle, she helped him with it. They ran away, carrying it on their backs. They were side by side, and as close as they could get. Suddenly, they heard a voice. "Hey, you puppies! Come back with my garbage!" They found a man running after them, so they ran faster. They soon found themselves falling down a hill. They rolled until the man was out of sight. They landed on top of one another, and they were laughing at their fortune. Evening rolled around, and there was a bright, pleasant ambiance in the air that they both could feel. The bag had ripped open and they were enjoying their new catch. "Um, hey." She called, trying to get his attention. He answered. "Thank you." She told him. They both smiled as they finished._

The next day, Lucky called a Pound Puppies meeting to order downstairs. "Okay, everyone." He called. "There is a puppy up there that needs a human. Now, Cookie. I may need your help talking to her. Strudel, fire up the FKD." He commanded. Cookie walked over to Lucky so they could figure out what they were going to do. "I don't know, Lucky. She doesn't seem like the type that will just give an explanation right away." Cookie said worriedly. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine." He replied. They hopped up to the surface together.

When they ascended, they found the puppy doing something she hasn't done before. She was pacing back and forth. She was looking at the ground and she looked like she was really thinking about something. "Hey, kid. Are you alright?" Lucky asked her. She sat down facing away from them. She put her head down and closed her eyes. "Hi there. Let's start over." Cookie suggested. "I'm Cookie. What's your name? Let's start there."

She was very reluctant, but she began to answer, still facing away from them. She sighed and responded, "My name, is Mel." She said softly as she slowly turned to face them. "See? That wasn't so hard." Cookie was excited that she started talking to them. "Well, how about us, the Pound Puppies, find you a human?" Lucky asked. To both of their surprise, she responded strangely to that question. She gasped slightly like she was surprised. She then shut her eyes tight as if she was fighting back tears and turned away again. She mumbled out, "I don't think so," with a lump in her throat. "Are you okay?" Cookie asked concerned. "I'm fine." She said, though there was a hint of slight anger in her voice. "Please. We're here to help, but we can't do that unless you talk to us." Lucky explained as softly and as calmly as he could. He laid down next to her and smiled. "I don't want to talk about it!" She finally yelled. She ran into a corner of the kennel. She laid down, put her paws over her eyes, and started crying. They both felt bad for causing her such distress. Lucky wanted to comfort her, but realizing there was nothing they could really do, they sadly headed back downstairs.

They walked into Strudel's lab to check on her. They found her next to the FKD, typing something on it. "Awaiting Response." It said suddenly. Strudel turned around and saw them standing there. "Okay. I've set up the FKD to find our new puppy a human. All that's missing is her likes and preferences." She explained. "So, did you talk to her yet? What did you find out?" She continued to ask. "Well, um, you see..." Lucky didn't really want to tell her about what happened. "It didn't really go as we planned." He said quickly. "Okay. Well, I'll go up there and talk to her myself. She will not be able to resist the opportunity to be united with her perfect human!" Strudel insisted. She then ran out of the room and up onto the surface. She soon found Squirt following her up.

Mel was pacing back and forth again, where she was originally. "Hello, puppy. Will you please be so kind as to join me downstairs?" Strudel began to ask. Mel stopped and looked at her. "I would prefer to stay up here, but thank you for your offer." She said. She looked away from her again. Strudel, who had become more determined, tried again. "We are trying to find you your perfect person. Please, we only need you for a little bit." She said. "For the last time, I don't want a human." Said Mel. Her tone grew sadder as she continued. "And I don't need one. Not since he left." She finished quietly. "What was that again?" Strudel asked her to repeat herself. "Oh, nothing." She responded. After hearing her answer, Squirt felt strangely about her, but Strudel felt sort of sympathetic and walked closer to the pup. "Maybe you don't want one because you've never known them. Answer me this. Have you ever felt the love of a human?" She asked her. Mel shook her head gently. Strudel began to respond.

"Humans are practically the reason we exist. They give us beds, toys, and love. They take us on long, peaceful walks in the park. They provide us more food, water, and care than you could ever dream. There's one for everybody and you both will never fade from each other's memory. They will love you more than anything in the world and they will play with you and spend time with you every single chance they get." Strudel finished. Mel felt ready to ease into Strudel's want a little bit more afterwards. "Fine." Sighed Mel. "I'll be down there and back up quickly, right?" She asked. "Yes, I suppose you will." She responded. Mel began following Strudel slowly. They both hopped back down underground.

Mel followed Strudel to her lab, where she found a big, massive machine right as she entered, as well as four other dogs waiting for her. "This is the Free Kid Database, um..." Strudel tried to remember her name, but she hadn't heard it yet. "Strudel, this is Mel." Lucky answered. "Anyway, please, Mel. Come this way." Strudel instructed. She began to follow her. The FKD suddenly said, "Awaiting Response." "What it means by that is it wants you to tell it what things you like, what your preferences are. What are some of your hobbies?" Strudel explained. "Hobbies? I don't know." Mel started. She mumbled so much, no one could really hear her. "Ever since he disappeared, I haven't really done anything. I haven't really wanted to do anything." She sadly stated. "I didn't catch that last part. Do you mind repeating that?" Strudel quickly asked, but the FKD had already found her match. It beeped and listed the name of the person that appeared. "Xavier, age 12. Residence:" The FKD suddenly made a strange noise. It sparked and smoked, and soon went blank. The squirrels chattered to each other while they examined the machine, but they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Strudel hurried over to the front and tried to fix it herself, but she had no luck. "Well, at least we obtained the identity of Mel's person." Strudel said suddenly. "Yeah, but we never found out where we're supposed to go." Cookie worriedly pointed out. "Well, that's not the only mystery here." Squirt exclaimed mysteriously. He walked straight up to Mel, making him almost the only thing she could see. He began asking, "So tell me, Mel; is it? Who exactly is 'he?'"


	3. Beginning the Plan

_"Okay, almost there." He said. "You said that five minutes ago!" She responded humorously. "Alright, open up!" He shouted excitedly. It was revealed that he had taken her to the top of a tall building. "Wow, you really didn't have to do this!" She stated in excitement. "Anything for you." He replied calmly with a smile on his face. She stared downward in awe at the beach, which was clearly visible at their height. The sand bank they were looking at had seashells arranged in giant letters spelling "Happy Birthday." The sunset added peace and love to it and made it look almost majestic. "I can't believe you actually remembered," she said in amazement. "You like it, huh?" He asked. "Of course! Thank you!" She exclaimed. She soon found herself hugging him as tight as she could. Despite it slightly choking him, he let her anyway. He felt something he realized he hadn't felt in a long time: a reminder from his constant companion that she cared about him deeply. After she was done, she stared at his creation. "It's amazing." She said to him calmly. They found themselves sitting, watching the sunset together. "You know something?" He asked her. "What is it?" She quickly answered. "Ever since I promised to find us a human where we'd be together forever, I've been looking every single day since we met. That is still what you want, right?" He asked. She turned her head to look at him. "More than anything." She whispered happily. "This journey we've been on together has taught me so much, and I promise I will find us a home if it kills me." He responded. "You really are the most loyal and caring friend anyone could ask for." She said. She beamed and shed a tear of happiness._

"So? Well?" Squirt seemed like he was shouting now. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Assured Mel. "Alright, enough." He was saying. "I know what these big ears of mine picked up. Spill it." Mel would've replied but Lucky did first. "Squirt, enough." He commanded sternly. "Now, Strudel? Do you think you will be able to fix the FKD to find out where this Xavier kid lives?" He continued. "Oh, I wish I could Lucky." Strudel responded. "However, we have already used our weekly supply of spare parts and we don't have anything to use." "Alright. We'll just have to come up with something else." Lucky answered. They all tried to think of an alternate plan, but no one could think of anything. "Alright. Mel, could you go upstairs while us grown-ups have a meeting?" Lucky asked. Without replying, she started toward the surface.

Once she was up, she lied down near the corner of the kennel, sighed, and started thinking deeply. However, she was interrupted when a limousine pulled up through the gates of the pound. An old woman stepped out and yelled, "Leonard!" Mr. McLeish ran outside. "I know mother; take Rebound to the kennel." He reached for her and held Rebound by the collar. He hurried over to the kennel where he opened the gate and got Mel's attention. "Well, what are you looking at?" He asked her angrily. She immediately broke eye contact with him and continued to lie down. Mr. McLeish put Rebound inside and quickly closed the gate again.

Around the same time, Patches crawled upstairs from below, followed by Cupcake. They saw Rebound, and immediately ran over to her. "Hi, guys!" She shouted in excitement. "Hey, ya Rebound!" Shouted Cupcake. They continued to greet each other and have conversations when Patches suddenly asked, "Wait, who's that?" He was pointing to the corner of the kennel where Mel was. "I don't think I've seen her before." Cupcake pointed out. "I don't know her either. Let's go talk to her!" Rebound eagerly suggested. They started to walk up to her. Mel didn't really notice them talking about her until they had approached her. She stood up in surprise. "Hi, I'm Rebound! What's your name?" Rebound asked eagerly. The others awaited her response, too. Mel looked around, confused. She then slowly started backing up, but she didn't go very far, because she was in the corner. "Don't be shy." Cupcake happily insisted. "My name is Mel." She admitted softly. She refrained making eye contact with them. "Well, do you wanna play with us?" Asked Patches. She sighed. "No, thanks. I just need to be alone right now." She said, sadly.

She lied back down and tried to ignore them as best she could, but Rebound interrupted. "Well, are you sure? 'Cause..." Rebound didn't finish her statement because Lucky came up through the hole. "Mel!" He called. She looked over to him. He gestured for her to come back down with him. She quickly got up and followed him, with the Pup Club following behind her. Lucky stopped them before they went down, though. "Not you three. Just stay up here." They disapproved of that order and did what they always do. "Please?" They asked with desperate smiles. Lucky thought for a second. "Alright, but don't interrupt." He said. The four hurried down to catch up.

Lucky joined the other four Pound Puppies gathered together in an organized form. Mel sat in front of them, while Rebound, Cupcake, and Patches remained a little further back. "So, Mel. We figured out what we need to do." Lucky told her. Cookie stood up and took the floor. "We're going to take a trip over to Shelter 48. They have a written record of all of the kids in the area." She explained. Lucky also stood up and he started to explain something else. "The only problem is; it's farther away than most other pounds around here, and it will end up being an overnight trip." He said. Mel didn't really mind. "When are we leaving then?" She asked. "As soon as Niblet grabs the gear." He answered.

Seeing that the Pound Puppies were going to leave on a mission, the Pup Club ran over to them. "Can we come? Please?" They asked. "I'm sorry. It's just too far for you." He answered. Mel stayed put in the middle of them. She didn't really know if she wanted to go anymore. It seemed like a lot of work to go through just for one person. She didn't feel like she even wanted one, either.

The rest of the Pound Puppies stood up and prepared to leave. As soon as it appeared that they all were ready, Lucky called everyone's name. "Niblet, do you have the overnight bag?" He asked. "It's right here, Lucky. Don't worry. I can carry it." He answered. Lucky looked around for Mel, but he didn't see her. He eventually found her where she was. "Is there something wrong?" He asked. Without waiting for a response, he already knew what he was going to say. "Please, don't worry. Just trust us. We're doing this for you." He explained. Mel felt a little better, but was still a little worried. She followed him to the rest of them. Lucky made sure everyone was there, then he recited, "Well, without further ado, go dogs, go!"


	4. Words Do Hurt

_She wandered the dark, moonlit grounds alone. She had been searching for hours with no success. She was starting to get scared. "Hello?" She called. There was no answer. She was in the middle of the forest, where the park was located, but no one was there. She thought she knew the way back, but she had accidentally wandered a bit too far. She tried calling for him again, but there wasn't a response that time, either. More hours passed, and she started to wonder if he was getting worried. Suddenly, she heard the sound of leaves rustling. She gasped in surprise and instinctively started running the opposite way. After a little bit, she believed she had outran the noise, and slowed down. She continued her search for him, but her luck still hadn't changed. Later, she heard the same sound. She was about to run again, but decided she should probably investigate that time. She reluctantly eased her way toward the noise. Once she was close enough, she peered over the edge of the shrub where she detected the noise was coming from. To her surprise, she discovered him. He looked to her like he was searching for something, rather intensely. He was mumbling to himself and he often made hasty movements, frantically trying to find something. She was stricken with a great amount of relief and excitedly walked around the shrub, wanting to ask him what he was looking for. When she did, she found him running toward her, with a huge grin. When he finally reached her, he started hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness you're all right! I was so worried." He shouted. She spotted a tear run from his eye. She smiled, relieved that she finally found him as well as overwhelmed with joy from his compassion. She even felt one, too._

Mel followed close behind the Pound Puppies. They dashed through the fields with such a heroic and triumphant manner, that it almost gave Mel her confidence back. Unfortunately, she didn't find it in herself to open up to it yet. She sighed and started to grow sad, which Lucky detected out the corner of his eye. They continued along the route to Shelter 48. Although Mel was able to keep up, she was hardly thinking about where they were going. She was lost in thought; a lot was going through her mind. They were mostly memories; memories that were significant enough to be of some relevance to their destination. Lucky once again spied her gloomily staring at the ground as they trekked on.

The whole way they walked, Mel did more thinking and Lucky noticed her getting sadder and sadder. It was now night time, and the Pound Puppies had stopped within a forest and were setting up to call it a day. Mel was lying on a patch of grass until Lucky noticed her and walked over to her. "Hey, kid." He started. He tried to set a proper mood for what he had to say. "I really couldn't help but notice your mood. You really seemed quite sad." He said with concern. Mel found him lying next to her. "Do you mind telling me what's wrong?" Mel decided she should inform him of her decision she came up with. "Well, I've been thinking." She started. "And, um, I don't really think I want a human." This caught the immediate attention of the other four; they were flabbergasted. "What!?" They shouted. They each stopped what they were doing. "Everyone, calm down. It's alright." Lucky assured, but they didn't listen. Squirt marched angrily straight up to Mel.

"You mean that we came all this way for you to tell us that you didn't even want to come!?" He yelled. "Squirt!" Cookie suddenly snapped. He backed off. "Well, why not?" Cookie asked Mel. "Well?" Asked Strudel. She found herself faced with an overwhelming number of that question, and everyone was staring at her, making her feel extremely uneasy. She could hardly hold herself together, so she blurted out the first answer that came to mind.

"Because a human completely destroyed my life, okay!?" She shouted. That got each one of them to stop talking in surprise. She turned her back to all of the Pound Puppies. She was about to start crying; she felt so awful. "Excuse my insensitivity, but you will need to make that statement a little more specific." Said Strudel. Lucky lied down by Mel's side once again. "It's alright. Tell me what happened." Lucky said gently. Mel didn't answer. Lucky gave up trying to talk to her. "Well, go ahead and get yourself some kibble from the supply bag over there, if you'd like. Us grown-ups are going to have another meeting." Lucky told Mel. Mel realized she had been completely distracted and didn't even realize how starving she was.

She slowly got up and trudged over to the bag. However, before she could open it, she heard something. She turned her ear to where she believed the sound was coming from. She then spotted the five Pound Puppies in a circle from a distance. Getting as close as she can without being spotted allowed her to eavesdrop on parts of the conversation. "Face it, Lucky. That pup is just a lost cause!" She heard Squirt say. "Now Squirt, it's important to give her the benefit of the doubt. We need to hear her side." Said Lucky. "Forget about it! An overly-sensitive mess like her? The only thing we need to hear from her is at least one sentence that actually makes sense!" Squirt responded. "Squirt, we just need to give her time. She'll come out of her shell when she's ready." Cookie tried to tell him. "No. I don't know about you all, but I'm not wasting my time on her anymore." He sassed.

Mel was shocked. She wondered if this really was what they all truly thought about her. She thought perhaps she really was too sensitive. She realized that all of the Pound Puppies were going through a lot of trouble and work just to place her with a human. She also remembered how she didn't even want a human, and how one managed to ruin her life forever. She started planning on leaving so no one would have to put up with her again. She never wanted to become a liability to anyone.

The meeting was dismissed and the Pound Puppies resumed what they were doing before everything. Lucky wanted to try to talk to Mel again to tell her what they discussed. "Mel?" He called. There was no answer. He tried again, but still no response. Worried but not too panicked, Lucky told the others that they needed to find Mel immediately. They all began looking around for her. They all called out for her everywhere, but there wasn't even a sign of her anywhere in sight. No one else had any more success than Lucky. What they didn't know was that they wouldn't find her anywhere near where they were at. She had ran away, and she never even looked back.


	5. Scarred

_They both yawned, desperate for at least a little bit of adventure. "It really has been boring lately, hasn't it?" She asked. He nodded in agreement. They were both worn out from running away from the dog catcher, who had been hot on their trail all morning. They stopped when they believed they were safe. They walked out of the alley they were hiding in and looked around. They both saw the same thing: an old, tired town with little excitement. Then, he suddenly had an idea. "You know, I used to read these old geography books that someone left out." He said. She started to wonder where he was going with that. "And, what if I told you that there was a place in the world so amazing, we could practically live there for the rest of our lives? It's filled with breathtaking sites and landmarks!" He suggested. "Wow, I guess I've never thought about leaving for somewhere far away." She realized. "Trust me. If we travel there, it'll be the greatest thing we'll ever do. It'll take a few days of travel, but I have no doubt we can do it." He said enthusiastically. The way he spoke about it to her made her feel more than ready to begin their journey. She told him exactly that. "I think that sounds wonderful!"_

Everyone started to panic. "Hurry, we need to find that puppy!" Lucky shouted. They were all frantically searching for Mel. They tried looking everywhere in the entire campsite. Just then, Niblet spotted something. "Wait, look at this!" He shouted. The others came running quickly. "Gopher tracks!" He pointed out. He pointed at the ground, where he found a trail of tracks leading away from the campsite. "Do you know what this means? An evil gopher took Mel! We have to save her!" Niblet screamed. "Quiet down, you doofus." Squirt commanded sternly. "Those aren't gopher tracks, they're dog tracks. Those could be Mel's!" He suggested. "Good observation, Squirt." Said Lucky. "Cookie, Squirt, come with me. Niblet, Strudel, stay behind and see if you can find something else." They all did as they were told. Lucky and the other two ran and followed the trail away.

Mel ran as fast as she could. She couldn't help but be upset with the Pound Puppies. She believed they were really going to help her, but all they did was make her even more depressed; she never wanted to see them again. She had confidence in running away, and from then on, she will be looking for anyone else willing to actually give her a chance. She was sorry for even going with them. However, she was distracted with all of her thoughts rushing through her mind. She continued to run past a sign that read, "Danger: Restricted Area."

After a few minutes beyond the sign, Mel began to grow tired. She stopped to catch her breath. She was in the middle of the forest, with the moon being the only source of light. The coos of owls and the chirps of crickets made up the only noise. There was nothing but trees for as far as the eyes could see. She now had time to think and process exactly what was going on. Even with her new sensation of freedom, she felt something else. She felt sort of lost, and alone. Even with the completely new environment, she could swear she felt a strong deja vu.

She looked around and started having brief flashbacks, though she could not recall the exact details. She was alone for around half an hour before she suddenly heard a rustling sound from a short distance. She had two choices: run away or find out what was making the sound. She suddenly recalled practically everything about her memory, including which was the more rewarding option last time. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she instinctively walked over to the shrubs where the sound was. She peered over, and she immediately regretted it.

She saw two coyotes, who immediately turned to look at her. She hid behind the shrub, where she prayed that they didn't see her. She waited a few seconds, but no movement from them suggested that she went unnoticed. She sighed in relief and walked back in the opposite direction, but ran directly into another coyote. "Well, what do we have here?" He said slyly. "A little lost puppy! Hey, boys, check this out!" He called. The other two coyotes from over the shrub came over to her. "So tell me, little doggy. Why are you on our land!?" One asked aggressively. They all growled at her intensely. "Uh, I..." She stuttered. She saw the shrub was unguarded and sprinted for an escape. She ran through the shrub to the other side, however, to her dismay, there was nowhere left to run, because the only thing on the other side was the edge of an overhanging cliff above a rocky ravine. She was cornered.

The three coyotes laughed and slowly approached her. She backed up as far as she could. "Nice try, but you're a trespasser." One said. "Do you know what we do to trespassers?" Another asked. The other responded. "We do the same thing trespassers do to our land: destroy it!" He slashed his claw at her and scratched her eye very badly. She shrieked and covered it with her front paw. She stumbled backwards and fell off the cliff, but managed to grab hold of the edge with the one paw she still had available. While she was hanging, she felt something warm run down the side of her face. "Let this be a lesson, pup." One said as he approached her. She struggled to pull herself up, but she didn't have the strength. The coyote reached her and put his paw on hers. He slowly started to push her off.

Out of completely nowhere, Lucky jumped from behind the shrub and shoved the coyote off the side of the cliff. Mel slipped off the edge, but Squirt grabbed her just in time. Cookie growled and chased the other two coyotes away. They were all gone. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Asked Lucky. Right after he asked, he noticed blood running down from Mel's eye, still covered with her paw. "Oh, no." He sighed. Cookie placed her on Lucky's back and they ran as fast as they could back to the campsite.

Back under the comfort of the rest of the Pound Puppies, Strudel was able to fasten an eye patch out of damp napkins and some disinfectant. She had been wearing it for almost an hour. Strudel finally announced that she could take it off. She slowly removed it, and when she did, all five Pound Puppies gasped in shock. "What's wrong?" Asked Mel. She looked around for something she could see her reflection in. She eventually found a mirror in the bag. When she looked in it, she wasn't happy with what she saw. She found her face marked with a long pink line that stretched across her face over the middle of her left eye. She was scarred, physically. She gasped, too. She was saddened by her new appearance and sadly walked back to the group.

"I'm sorry, honey." Cookie tried to comfort her. "Can it go away, though?" Niblet asked. "Unfortunately, I don't believe it will. A scrape that deep will undoubtedly leave a permanent scar. I'm sorry." Strudel explained sadly. Lucky walked up to her to try to talk to her again. "Mel, I know this is hard for you, but please, we're only trying to help, but we can't do that until you tell us what happened to make you dislike humans." He explained softly. "Come on, please. It'll make you feel better if you get it off your chest." Said Cookie. "His name, was Blake." Mel sighed. "At first, we were just two puppies looking for some adventure together. But one day, he took me somewhere I'll never forget." Mel sat down and told them the whole story.


	6. The Accident

It was the start of a brand new day. Mel was still asleep, but Blake woke her up by gently nudging her. She slowly opened her eyes to discover that it was still dark outside, but with a trickle of light coming in from the sunrise just after dawn. She vaguely remembered where she fell asleep, but the image she first saw reminded her. They fell asleep in an alley between two very tall buildings. They were in a huge metropolis with a busy atmosphere. "Come on!" He said. "Right behind you." Mel replied as she stood up and followed him.

They began walking down the alley and around the corner that led to the outer regions of the city. They started down a path along a busy highway. The bright and energetic feeling that the city gave off combined with the mellow and cold atmosphere that the low stratus clouds exerted were the perfect combination for another fun adventure.

The sun was fully risen, but the light level went up slightly less than they were expecting. It was due to it being completely cloudy outside, but still maintaining a decent amount of light. It was a little chilly outside, but they didn't really mind. They walked on the pavement beside a busy street with cars passing every couple seconds. Big skyscrapers were scattered about the environment and cast big shadows. "So where are we going? Asked Mel. "Somewhere. Somewhere amazing." Responded Blake slowly.

A couple hours later of casually strolling through the streets, they spotted a bus stop with a small shelter over it. They decided to stay for a little while and take a break. They walked underneath the ramata which was illuminated with a soft orange glow from a nearby street lamp. Mel looked at it and wondered why it was even turned on. Despite the clouds completely covering the horizons, everybody seemed to be able to see fine. A group of three humans walked the opposite way they came and sat down on the bench, too; two men, one woman, looking like they were around their twenties. Blake guessed they were college students, because there were several in the area. One looked to his left and spotted Mel and Blake.

"Hey Wanda, look at these puppies right here!" He said giggling. The other two looked in their direction as well. "Aw, they look so cute together." Another pointed out. "It looks like they're strays." Said the other. Mel and Blake just sat aside, listening but not really caring. Soon after, a bus drove up and pulled over by the cement. The door opened and the humans stood up and walked through. Without waiting any longer, the bus closed its door and drove off with a cloud of exhaust trailing behind it. They realized that they should be heading off, too. They hopped off the bench and continued down the street.

A few minutes in, Mel felt a drop of water hit her on the top of her head. She felt it to confirm. Blake felt one, too. They looked up and realized that it was drizzling a little. They walked on anyway, because they were looking for this type of fun anyway. The downpour gradually escalated over time, and it became a little heavier every few minutes.

A few hours later, Blake stopped Mel. "Well, we're here." He said, gazing upward. Mel was shocked to discover she was standing at the entrance of a massive red suspension bridge. "Mel, welcome to The Golden Gate Bridge. Breathtaking, isn't it?" Blake asked. "Definitely." She responded, smiling at the sight. They both looked at it and were both wondering the same thing: where it led. They didn't even have to talk to each other to begin walking toward it. They soon slipped past the tight opening before the main part and began their trip across.

The rain was heavier than ever, and they were both soaking wet. They laughed with each other to distract themselves from it. The bridge became busy with traffic but Blake and Mel tried their best to stay clear of it. During the rain, cars had their headlights on and windshield wipers activated. The asphalt on the bridge became wet and a little cold to the touch, but they enjoyed it.

When they were about halfway across, a brief gap between traffic allowed them to walk a little bit easier. Suddenly, a terrible screeching sound came from up ahead. They saw it was a car that had lost control due to the slippery road. The driver swerved desperately trying to retain a straight trajectory, but it was unable to. It zoomed over the median. Blake saw it coming straight for Mel. It was going at least a hundred miles per hour. The driver slammed on the brakes but it did no good because of the wet asphalt. Mel was frozen in fear. She shut her eyes and braced for impact, but Blake shoved her out of the way as hard as he could. Mel rolled and slid across the bridge toward the middle. Blake's momentum had stopped him when he gave it to Mel, and he was standing where she had been initially. Mel had just recovered and accidentally witnessed something she strongly wishes no one else in the universe had to witness, too.

The car collided with Blake, sending him upwards along with several shards of glass from the headlights. His back collided with a suspender cable, knocking him out. Then, to Mel's agony, Blake went over the side of the barrier. She couldn't help but run to the side and call for him. She waited what seemed like hours until he finally hit the water below. She could no longer see him. She needed a minute to comprehend what just happened. The driver, with a now stopped car, sped away like nothing ever happened.

In ten seconds flat, someone managed to wipe everything she had off the face of the earth. Everything she ever knew, loved, cared about, or sought after was gone in a flash. She started sobbing heavily. She felt just like the earth: wet, alone, and miserable. She didn't care how much noise she made. Her eyes were shut and she never wanted to open them again. A single thunderbolt sounded. She was alone, in the rain. She was cold, she was sad, and she was completely traumatized.

She will never wipe the image from her brain of him falling to the end of his life after he had just saved hers. But the impact he had on her was never going to stop. As all of her memories of him, from the happy ones where they laughed together, to the sad ones where they cried together, flashed before her like the end of a tragic drama, she realized that she no longer had someone like that anymore. She planned on remembering him for a long time.


	7. Xavier

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long break. I needed it to create new ideas. This is the finale chapter. Or at least, for now. If audience members such as yourself approve, I will continue on to make a Season 2 consisting of several sequel chapters. I already have ideas for them. Please enjoy the last chapter of this part.**

 _She wandered the lonely dim block. After witnessing the revolutionary turning point in her life, she felt she didn't have a mind of her own anymore. Suddenly, a metal crate dropped on her. "Gotcha!" She heard. She was lifted into the air inside the cage and placed in the back of a big van by a large human in a black uniform. The doors slammed shut, allowing little light into the cargo area. After hours of waiting, the doors opened back up, to the site of more men in blue uniforms. They took her cage and mindlessly tossed it into a trailer being towed by a big truck. She was carried over a ramp into another dark room. Once again, she waited in the dark for hours until light became visible. The cage was unloaded and stacked on top of other boxes and cases. Suddenly, she felt the stack began to tip, and the cage fell and was dropped on the tarmac. She shouted in shock. The cage broke open, and she decided to venture out and try to see what she would come across. When she found another city, a net lifted her up off the ground. The person with the net, a man in a black uniform and hat, stared at her oddly before gently placing her in the back; just like before, only without a cage. Only a few minutes later, she was unloaded. Before she was, she heard "Ketchum? It was supposed to be your day off!"_

The Pound Puppies were mesmerized. An entire flurry of emotions overcame them when they heard her back story. Even Squirt started to feel sorry. Mel hated being reminded of that moment so explicitly. "There! Now do you see why I don't exactly jump at the opportunity for another introduction of someone else in my worthless life?" She shouted. Lucky felt empathy for her. He couldn't help but feel sad for her. He disliked seeing anyone in her state. He sat down beside her.

"Your life isn't worthless, Mel." Lucky insisted. Mel hugged him tightly. She had the scarred side of her face covered. "But the only one who ever looked out for me is gone. I'm not anyone to anybody. I don't have anyone!" She replied. Squirt heard her and stepped forward. "That's not true. You have us!" He said happily. "And you'll have Xavier." Lucky continued. "And he'll have you." Added Strudel. "We understand losing someone that close to you is really hard, honey. But don't let it get to you anymore." Said Cookie as she came to sit by her, too. "But, he was my whole life. We were even closer than siblings. When he got hit by that car, when he hit the beam, and when he fell off and disappeared..." Mel started crying. "I think my world went with him." She finished. She found that her scarred eye no longer formed tears.

All five of them felt a sharp wave of sadness overcome them when they all found out what had really happened to her. They all wanted to help her as best as they could. "I'm really sorry you had to experience that," Lucky continued. "But it's time to put all of your pain and grief in the past. It's true that he did a lot of great deeds for you. Never forget him, but it's time to say goodbye and forget all of your bad memories." He smiled. "Now, everyone get some shut-eye. We still have a little bit of travel ahead. All six of them moved to their own space. Mel didn't move very far. She lied down. It wasn't very difficult to fall asleep with how sad she was.

The next morning, they all awoke to the sound of birds chirping. "Alright, gang. It's time to finish the road trip." He commanded. They all got up quickly and began to follow Lucky away from the campsite. They all hurried away. Mel almost forgot where they were headed.

A couple hours later, they began to reenter the city. After a few turns down some street blocks, they came upon a small building with a number 48 labelled across the top. For Mel, the building was just another sign that she was a step closer to Xavier; a step closer to a life she had never thought of living before. She was too anxious to try to think what it would be like to introduce someone like that into her life again. "Come on, Mel!" She heard. She shook off her daydream and nervously followed them all inside.

They were inside a small office. Another dog came through the door after them. He was tall and had thick orange fur. "Okay, the dog catcher will be back any minute. Let's hurry up." He said before he dragged a large brown book towards the Pound Puppies. Strudel opened it. Meanwhile, Mel spotted a photograph hanging on a thumbtack on a corkboard. It was of a puppy being hugged by a kid. She looked at it, and strangely imagined herself in that position. She imagined it two ways: a brilliant loving endeavor or a disastrous nightmare, like it was last time. Her anxiety practically screamed at her that the second one was the one that will occur. She became even more nervous.

"Mel!" Shouted Squirt. She looked in his direction. "Come over here." He responded. She followed him to the book they were all reading. Lucky spotted her and started speaking to her. "Good news! Your perfect person lives not too far from here!" He said. Before he could say something else, the doorknob began to turn. "It's the dog catcher!" Shouted the orange dog. They all quickly followed him out another door. "Okay. Xavier lives just over there. We better get started." Cookie explained. "Good luck!" Shouted the orange dog. The six of them walked out and began going to Xavier's house.

They soon arrived at a house on the corner of a street. "Well, this should be the place." Said Strudel. Mel was more nervous than ever. She even began to fear what might happen to her. "Quick, hide!" Yelled Squirt suddenly. They ducked behind some nearby bushes. The dog catcher's van was driving down the street. Then, it did something unexpected. It pulled into the driveway and parked. Ketchum stepped out of the van and walked up to the front door. He unlocked it and went inside. "Could it be possible that this is where Ketchum resides, as well?" Asked Strudel. "We'll figure that out later. Come on." Said Lucky as he walked around to the back of the house.

They all peered through an open window. Inside was a boy with black hair lying on his bed, looking really sad. They looked to the right and noticed a wall in which a portion of it was covered in photos of a pale blonde girl. Next to one was a picture of a tombstone with the words "In Loving Memory of Lauren Jones." The words "My Best Friend " were written in pen underneath the photo. The boy held one of the pictures of her. It was framed and it depicted them together on a hill around sunset. He grasped it tightly and held it close to him. He shut his eyes tight and sighed. "Poor kid." Said Cookie with sympathy. They all backed down from the window."This is it, kid." Lucky started. "It's time for you to move on to the next phase of your life." Mel stepped forward to where she could see all of them and began speaking.

"Before I came to the pound, I was completely unsure of where to go. But now, because of you five, I know where my place is." She said. Strudel stepped forward and placed a silver tag on her collar. "Once a Pound Puppy, always a Pound Puppy." They all announced. The Pound Puppies backed up while Niblet helped Mel up to the top of a windowsill. She turned around to look at them all once again and formed a grin. "Thank you." She said softly. She jumped down into the room with the Pound Puppies observing from behind.

Xavier heard a noise nearby, and sat up to investigate. When he turned his head to his window, there, was a gray puppy with a scar on one eye waiting for him. He gasped in surprise and slowly stepped toward her. Mel barked happily and ran to him. Xavier picked her up. "Who are you?" He asked rhetorically. They each took a moment to gaze in each other's eyes. Without a second thought, Xavier ran out of his room with her in his arms. "Dad!" He shouted.

A couple minutes later, Xavier walked back in, hugging her. The both of them looked the happiest they've ever been. Mel licked his face a couple times. Xavier happily accepted it. From the moment they each saw each other, they both knew that they understood each other. Mel now knew why he was chosen exclusively for her. She could tell he has been through the same things. Xavier sat on his bed. Mel followed and got as close as she could. She was finally ready for that kind of love again. For her, this was a journey to remember.

 **End of Season 1**


	8. S2: Vanished

**Season 2! Yay! Also, I apologize in advance for the really dark and dramatic plot that I have planned. As always, please enjoy and don't be afraid to tell me what you think!**

Xavier giggled. Mel pounced on him in her playful manner. Xavier found her ball laying next to his bed and looked outside. "I have an idea!" He shouted to her. He ran outside next door to the park, Mel chasing him the whole way. When they went outside, they felt the whole feeling of the bright, sunny day and the free cool breeze they always do.

Mel always enjoyed the park. It reminded her of the old days where it was just her and her only friend in the whole world; living life freely together. She began to feel the park's soft lawn under her feet. It was laced with cool morning dew. She stopped and took a moment to think about Xavier and how he got to meet him again. She never wanted to forget any of her memories with either of them. She reminisced in the happy moments they've had together. The feeling of the grass had always induced this.

"What are you waiting for, girl?" She heard Xavier shout. She was woken from her daydream to find her ball thrown across the grass a good distance from him. She ran and picked it up, then ran to bring it back. Playing fetch was another one of her favorite activities to do with Xavier. Playing had always given both of them memories they will always hold dear to their heart.

They ran around together for a while. Xavier looked back at Mel, and saw her panting, though she was still smiling at him. He realized he was sort of thirsty, and she probably was, too. "Hang on, girl. I'm gonna go get our water." He said. He jogged to the bench he put it down on. Xavier was comfortable leaving her alone, as long as she was still in his sight. While he was away, Mel took the off-time to look around her.

The park was large, and it was in the middle of the big city they lived in. She moved around, seeing things like pigeons in trees and even other dogs with their people. She felt happy for them, because she knew that they were experiencing the same type of happiness she felt. The occasional person or dog would walk past her and scoff at her appearance, especially her eye. She didn't care, though. The big scar across her eye was just another feature that distinguished her from everybody else.

Xavier returned with the water, and she followed him to the bench to sit down. He had a dish with him that he placed beside him, while he had a bottle he filled with a fountain. After they've had a brief water break, Xavier was about to stand up and resume their game, when Mel walked into his lap. That always made Xavier feel really happy. It showed that he was cared about by someone. There have never been very many instances that that was conveyed by anybody to him.

They looked into each other's eyes. They felt like they could communicate each other in a way that no one else could. It was a way of understanding each other. Even though Xavier doesn't know about Mel's loss, he could tell that she had once felt the same way he felt once. Xavier picked her up. He stood up and hugged her for a brief moment. He set her down and stretched. "Well, what do you say we finish our game?" Said Xavier. She barked. They ran side by side to the patch of grass that they were before. Mel turned to face him, ready for another throw. Xavier patted his pockets rapidly. He had a surprised look on his face. "Shoot. I forgot the ball. Stay here. I'll go get it!" He ran off to retrieve it.

When Mel could no longer see him, she turned to her right and suddenly caught sight of an ominous dog, lurking behind a tree. She gasped in fright. It started walking towards her. She smiled. "Sorry. You scared me." She said. "That's alright." It said in an enormous deep voice. It came closer to reveal that it was a very tall black dog with eyes so brown, they almost appeared red compared to his dark coat.

"I could not help but notice you spending your time with that human." He said. "Who? Xavier? He's not just any human. He's my human, and my best friend." She responded sweetly and sentimentally. He grinned with a wide toothy smile. "You know, you don't know what you have until it's gone." He said. Mel stood still, unable to comprehend exactly what he meant by that.

She looked down, trying to come up with a response for him. "Well, I don't..." She started. She looked back up, but he was gone. She grew confused and looked around, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She shrugged her rather strange encounter off and lied down, to continue waiting for Xavier.

Mel stood up after a few minutes. She thought she must've fallen asleep. She started to wonder what was taking Xavier so long. She sat down and waited a little while longer. However, she stood back up when she decided to look for him. Something felt wrong.

She started in the direction of the bench. She began to look around for him, but she couldn't find him. She saw the same things she saw before. Nothing really changed. "Where could he be?" She said to herself, worried. She eventually came upon the bench they were sitting on before. She knew she felt something weird when her water dish and Xavier's water bottle were still there, along with the ball.

Suddenly, she heard Xavier's voice. "Help!" He shouted. She looked around and barely spotted him around a street block on the ground, struggling and scraping the ground. Mel and Xavier got one last moment of eye contact before something covered his mouth and he was dragged by a force Mel couldn't see. "Help!" He screamed again. Mel couldn't believe no one around heard him. She ran after him, barking. She ran out of the park and onto the sidewalk next to the street. She ran between the buildings he was dragged to, but all she saw was an empty alleyway. "Somebody! Help me!" She heard one last time. It was farther away and it came from an unknown direction. "Xavier!?" She shouted. "Xavier?" She said softly. She laid down and cried. She was scared and she didn't know what to do.


	9. S2: SOS

_Are you sure humans are really what you want? You're too young to know what you really want._

Mel stared at the television. The same program was playing over and over again. "Officials still do not know what happened that moment." Explained the reporter. "The Kidnapping of Xavier is truly a mystery yet to be solved. More breaking news soon, on Big City News." Ever since his kidnapping a week ago, Mel has begun putting her faith in the police and the other officials, but lately, she's started to doubt.

His father, Officer Ketchum, was never home anymore. Aside from his job, he was frequently called to police stations for investigations or interrogations. When he was, he would take care of Mel; leaving food and water in her dish is all he would do, since Xavier was gone. He would never usually have to do it too often, as her dish was almost never empty. Mel was too worried sick to eat much. She was nervous beyond her comfort zone.

To try and calm herself down, she would sometimes remind herself that the police are doing everything they can, and that they will eventually find him. However, hearing words like "mystery" or "no information" invalidated those beliefs. She has also lately been pondering to herself. She would often look at pictures of them together, or sometimes just him, being reminded of the memories they've made and strengthening her hope.

Every single night, she would always still climb up on his bed and fall asleep there, sometimes trying very hard not to cry. She was mostly thinking of him and his well-being, and if she would ever get to see him again. She thought about if they will never run through another open field at each other's side, or if she will never catch another one of his throws. She wondered if she would ever sleep next to him, or if that horrifying image of him being dragged to his demise was the last she will ever see of him.

The next morning, Mel paced impatiently around the empty house, like she always does. She was just about to turn on the news to see if they found anything yet, though she didn't see the point of it anymore, when she suddenly heard a brief but strong singular thump on the front door. She reached up and peered out the front window. What she saw was a newspaper. She figured she could read it when Ketchum returned home later that night.

After an entire afternoon of nothing but disappointment from the news channels, Ketchum finally returned home at around nine. She was laying on the couch when she awoke to the sound of the front door opening. She saw him enter, with the newspaper in hand. He set it on the counter and immediately walked away. Mel felt a little sorry for him. She imagined the kidnapping being just as hard for him as it was for her.

She hopped onto the counter and grabbed the newspaper. However, she didn't even need to read it to know it was useless. The headline read, "Boy Kidnapped. Little Known." Mel officially gave up. She was tired of waiting for information to come to her. "It's time to take matters into my own paws." She said to herself. "Xavier, I'm coming."

She opened the back door and ran outside. It was dark, cold, and quiet. She ran across the park to the other side. It was there that she found the city. It was lit with the headlights of the numerous cars driving down the road, as well as the light from the nearby buildings. She continued to run, and stopped in front of the alleyway Xavier was horrifically dragged into. "Oh, Xavier. I'm sorry. I will find you." She said softly. "I promise." She shed a single tear before laying in the middle of the alleyway, mourning the loss of him.

She was deeply pondering about how she could help set things straight, when she then suddenly thought of a group that will help her for sure. Her feeling of sadness and hopelessness turned into determination and devotion. She stood up strong and began her trip across town, running out of the alley as fast as her will carried her.

Meanwhile at Shelter 17, the gang was hard at work. Squirt was sweeping the floors, while Cookie was discarding scattered debris, including confetti and small pieces of plastic. Niblet was packaging and storing leftover food, while Strudel was putting away her supplies. Lucky was overseeing the cleanup. Then, all of them at once came running to Lucky. "Done!" They shouted in unison. Lucky looked around and was relieved to see the spotless floors and the shining walls. "Good job, everybody! We finally cleaned up after the Woof-Bark-Tooth Day Celebration! Even if it did take us a whole week."

The gang paced around in their new clean pound. They even cheered a little that their hard work paid off. They were interrupted with a strange noise. It came from the entrance tunnel. "Help!" They heard someone shout. They all stopped making noise and turned to see what it was. "Help! You've gotta help me!" They heard again. "Who's there?" Shouted Squirt. They saw a puppy with hair parted over one eye and a scar over the other emerge from the darkness of the tunnel. The distress conveyed on her face gave the ultimate hint that it was her crying for help.

"Hold on now, pup. What do you need help with?" Asked Cookie. "My person! You need to help! He's..." She was shouting vigorously. "Whoa, slow down." Lucky told her, but then, he got a closer look at her. "Do we know you?" He asked. Squirt approached them. "Yeah, I remember you. You're Mel, that one pup we placed across town." He said to her. "Oh, yeah. Yep; that was one challenging mission we placed you on." Said Cookie. "So, why have you come here?" Asked Strudel. "My person! Xavier! He was kidnapped!" They all gasped. "I've heard about an Xavier kid being kidnapped. You mean to tell me that all those news stories were talking about your person the whole time?" Asked Squirt surprised. "Yes! And not even the police found answers. That's why I came to you." Mel's voice calmed to a sad tone.

"Finding a kidnapped child? It seems a bit above out skill level. I'm not sure we can do something like that." Strudel explained. "So, you can't help me?" Asked Mel. "Well, I do know is that we're the Pound Puppies and we always help dogs in need. We should at least try." Shouted Lucky in a devoting manner. The others shouted in agreement. Lucky looked at Mel, who he could tell was worried sick. "And Mel, I'm sorry this happened. We'll do anything we can to help. I know it's hard for you." He said softly. Mel looked back up at him. "Harder than you could ever know." She said sadly.


	10. S2: Ty

_Humans destroy us. They'll destroy you, too._

"It was right here, I swear!" Mel explained to the Pound Puppies. It was around nine in the morning when they were standing in front of the alleyway Xavier disappeared into. "So, are you sure you brought us to the right place?" Lucky skeptically asked. All five Pound Puppies looked around and saw complete emptiness; not a single clue, trace, or witness could be found.

"Yeah. How do we know if she isn't up to this? If she's isn't trying to pull our leg?" Squirt asked Lucky. "Squirt! She needs help!" Replied Cookie. Lucky turned to Mel again. "So, are you sure you're telling me the truth?" He asked. Mel looked back at him with such sincerity, Lucky found it hard to ignore her. "I'm telling you all I know." She said. Lucky thought for a moment, when Cookie came up to his side. "She needs help, Lucky." She said. He continued to think, when he got an idea.

"I'll tell you what. Let's look around to see if anyone saw what happened." He said softly to Mel, hoping it would cheer her up. "If not, I'm afraid we aren't able to help you. We just need more details." He continued. He looked at her for a reaction. After a little waiting, she answered. "We need to try." She said. The Pound Puppies were happy that her spirit was so full of devotion. They got to work, searching.

Strudel stayed behind to continue to look for clues, while the other four spread out across the block, asking to see if anyone happened to have witnessed the kidnapping, leaving Mel behind. She looked around, and headed to the park to see if anyone there saw it.

"Excuse me, have you seen a kidnapping recently? Of a boy, named Xavier?" She asked every dog she saw. "Don't know, don't care." Replied a snobby poodle next to the sidewalk. She looked around and tried again. "I wish I could help you, kid. But, I'm sorry, I haven't." Replied a kind dog laying in the grass. "Thanks anyway." She answered gratefully as she ran off and asked another dog. "Oh, yeah. I've seen it!" Replied a large bulldog. Ecstatic, Mel started asking him questions. "Really!? What was..." She was interrupted. "On TV! Yeah, a real mystery; that one." The bulldog finished. Mel sighed and walking off.

The sun began to set as the Pound Puppies regrouped at the alley, along with Mel and Strudel. "Okay, gang. Did anybody find any information?" Lucky looked at Cookie. "I'm sorry. I couldn't find anything." She admitted. He turned to Strudel, Squirt, and Niblet. "I pulled up zip, Lucky." Said Squirt. "My efforts of finding another clue were in vain, I'm afraid." Said Strudel. Niblet was chewing on something. "No one I found saw anything, but I did find this leftover pork chop!" He shouted. "Cut that out, Niblet! We're on serious business!" Shouted Squirt. "Speaking of business, where's Mel?" Asked Lucky.

She was behind Strudel, laying down and sulking. Lucky almost didn't have the heart to approach her, but he did anyway. "Mel, I'm really sorry." He said. "So, there wasn't a single sighting?" She asked sadly. "I'm afraid there wasn't." He answered. He felt really badly for having to tell her that. "Didn't anybody see it other than me!?" She shouted. They suddenly heard a small young voice come from alley entrance.

"I did."

They all immediately turned around to see who said it. There was a puppy, standing in front of them. Mel took a single glace at him. They've ran into liars and tricksters before, but she could tell he wasn't mistaken. She wasn't sure how, but she looked at him and saw a truly honest and helpful answer to her problems.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I overheard you talking about the kidnapping of Xavier?" He started. "Well hello, there. What's your name?" Asked Lucky. "My name is Ty." He answered. Once he answered, Mel immediately ran up to him. "You saw it!?" She asked urgently. They looked at each other, then she backed up a couple inches, looking downward, awkwardly. He had a golden coat and deep, brown eyes. She choked on her words whenever she tried to say anything else to him. It was her first interaction with someone her age for a long time.

"Yes; I saw it." Replied Ty. He came forward to them. "If you're trying to find more information, I can tell you about it." He assured. Squirt approached him, doubtful he knew anything. "Oh, yeah? And how do we exactly know we can trust you?" He asked aggressively. "You have to trust me. I know who took him, and I know where they're taking him." He explained.

"This is great, Mel! We can now know more details! We may be able to help, after all!" Lucky shouted to her. Ty suddenly had a questioned look on his face. "Your name is Mel?" He asked her. She nodded shyly. She didn't expect the conversation to be taken too far, but he asked something the made her hair stand on end. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone named Blake, would you?" She heard.

She stood up in surprise. She never thought she'd hear that name ever again. A million questions suddenly went through her mind that she wanted to ask at once. "Did he know him? Did he know her? Who exactly is he?" She thought. She already knew that asking those questions would not be ideal. "Yes." She answered quietly. She walked a little closer to him, feeling more comfortable talking to him. Speaking with him made her feel happy and content. She wasn't sure why, but she trusted him and wanted to give him everything for helping her. "Do you know him?" She answered.

"Mel! It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He said smiling. Mel looked at him with curiosity. "Why would you want to meet me?" She asked. "Blake would talk about you so much. You're everything he described to me." He continued. She could tell he was really happy to see her. "Though, I don't remember him telling me about your scar." He said. "Well, do you know him?" Asked Mel. The answer she received was really not what she expected. "Know him? I'm his brother!"


	11. S2: The ACHRA

_Humans pretend to love. Luring with affection; corruption, torture, and eventually annihilation is their true goal._

"We are very lucky to have found you!" Said Strudel. "It's no problem, really." Replied Ty. Mel couldn't believe it. She walked straight up to him and talked to him face-to-face.

"Wait, hold on. Blake? You're his brother?" She asked. "Yep! Hasn't he told you about me?" He wondered. She sat down and looked away, thinking. "I guess not." She said calmly. She thought it was strange that she never knew about him before. "Are you sure we're talking about the same dog?" He asked her. "Well, you could describe him." She suggested. "Did he have golden fur, a constant positive attitude, and the purest heart on earth?" He asked her. Mel began to tear up from happiness hearing those reminders. "That's him." She said happily.

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I would really like to see him again." He said excitedly. Mel was immediately struck with that sentence. She didn't want to tell him, but she had to. The Pound Puppies were listening, too. They all heard and came forward to Mel's side. "Is he with you? Where is he, anyway?" He said filled with hope. Squirt blurted his answer out. "Oh, he's at the bottom of the San Francisco Bay!" He said extremely nonchalantly. After, Cookie punched him so hard, he fell over. Ty suddenly grew worried. "What does he mean by that, Mel?" He asked her. Her eyes started to water. "Ty, he was struck by a car when we were on the Golden Gate Bridge. He fell over the edge. He's gone. I'm sorry." She explained. She couldn't bear to look at him anymore. She turned around and cried. She was too overwhelmed of the explicit reminders of how he died. Ty began to, as well. "Is this true?" He asked, devastated. The Pound Puppies sadly nodded. They all felt really bad for the both of them.

Even though Mel was just as hurt as him, she went over to him to see if she could help them again. She came close to him again, right by his side. She was close enough to talk in his ear. "You know, if he were here, he would be really happy to see you." She said happily. "You think so?" He said as he looked at her. Mel nodded. "Thank you for taking such good care of him." He replied. He stood up and hugged her. Mel suddenly felt much better.

Ty sat back down next to Mel. "You know, it really is a pleasure to meet you." Said Ty. "But why? How do you even know who I am?" She asked. She's been wondering the same question since he met him. Ty decided to tell her their story.

"You see, Blake and I were as close as two brothers could get. We'd play together every single day, and we never had a single fight. Then, I started noticing he was disappearing. He'd come back and still spend time with me, though it was gradually getting less and less. One day, I asked him about where he goes. He told me, that he met a girl. He said she was the sweetest, most caring, and the best girl he'd ever met. Her name, was Mel. He eventually began spending all of every day away from home, and he'd only come back for brief moments during the night. I figured that whoever this girl was, she'd have to be the luckiest girl in the whole world. Then, one day, he said he was taking her somewhere far away, and that he wanted to say goodbye. We did, and he went off, and never came back. I'll admit; I was a little hurt by his decision and I missed him, but I supported him all the way through. So, I wished him the best of luck, and I never saw him again." Ty happily explained the story for her. Mel felt so happy, she looked at him with an extremely grateful expression.

The Pound Puppies had begun to grow anxious, as they still wanted to find information on the kidnapping. "Yeah, whatever. But, we still have a missing kid to track down. So, enough of the storytime, and start telling us important things!" Shouted Squirt. Mel and Ty stuck together, but backed away from Squirt. They had gotten their feelings slightly hurt from Squirt. Mel always knew there was something edgy about Squirt, but she never thought he'd have this little sympathy.

Both Ty and Mel were silent, as a result of Squirt. Squirt looked at the two pups, seeing their hurt expressions and realizing what he had done. He walked up to them. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He explained. "It's fine, but you're right. I'm ready to tell you what I know now." Replied Ty, coming forward to everyone, making sure everyone could hear him. "Excellent. We're all looking forward to what you have to say!" Said Strudel. Ty took a deep breath before he revealed his knowledge.

"I know who took him. It was the ACHRA." He explained. "Oh, no!" Shouted Niblet. There was a brief pause before the predictable question followed. "What's the ACHRA?" He finally asked. Ty began explaining again. "They're the Anti Canine-Human Relationship Association; the cold-hearted, black-spirited dogs with a burning hatred of all human life. These are dogs that are not meant to be anywhere near, and they're extremely violent." He said very seriously. "So some dogs took Xavier? This should be alright. We've dealt with people-hating dogs before." Explained Cookie. "Perhaps, but not like these. These are dogs that are not afraid to take lives. I'm afraid Xavier could potentially be in great danger." He continued. He didn't like telling everyone what he knew, because he knew it was too much for them to handle at once; his intentions were never to scare anyone.

His words sucked the bravery out of everyone; especially Mel. Ty looked around and saw Mel lying on the ground. Whenever she stared into empty space, he could tell she was worrying about Xavier, and he didn't blame her at all. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, hoping to lift her spirits. "I know this must be hard information for you to hear, and I'm sorry you have to go through this. You don't deserve to feel this way." He said with his most comforting tone. Mel stood up and hugged him tightly, seeking relief from her distress. "I just hope he's okay." She cried softly. She spoke with choppy breaths due to her side effects of feeling sad and worried.

Lucky was behind, still in the alley. He took one look at his team, and could tell that they were not ready for such a rescue. They seemed scared to him; and even he admittedly felt discomforted. Even if they were putting themselves in danger, he knew they had to rescue him. Lucky decided to share his thoughts to get them motivated again.

"Hey, team. I just want to say that no matter what happens, we're Pound Puppies. We specialize in rescuing anyone in need. This may be a huge burden, but we need to at least try. If we succeed, we will have saved a life and have had another big job completed. Yes, this job seems scary, and it sounds horrible, but the Pound Puppies thrive in danger. So, let's rescue Xavier." He shouted. Everyone else agreed, to Lucky's surprise, and stood up with him, despite their secret lingering fear of the mission they were about to embark on. Empowered by Lucky's testimony, the others finally felt confident enough to try, though they were still aware if the danger they were going to put themselves in.

Squirt never completely believed Ty; he doubted he was telling the truth. "So, kid. Tell me exactly how you know so much about this ACHRA. How can we be sure you're not just making this up to scare us off?" He asked as he shoved Mel aside and took her place in front of him. Ty sighed and told him how. He hoped he never had to tell the story again.


	12. S2: Together

_Humans deserve to die. This is the only way we achieve happiness: without them on earth._

Ty looked at Squirt with reluctance to tell him how he knew about the ACHRA. He came to a conclusion to tell them his story. He believed they deserved to know, and it could potentially also help them trust him more. He sat down and prepared to talk. Everyone else gathered to hear his story, including Mel.

"You see, I once had a person. Her name, was Lauren Jones. After Blake left, I was on my own, and I ended up in a pound. That's how Lauren found me. We lived together for a good few months, and life could not get any better, other than my secret wish that I could share my happiness with Blake. Lauren and I loved each other so much. Her friend loved me, also. His name was Xavier, too, just like the kid you're looking for. Then, one day, on Woof-Bark-Tooth Day, we went to the park together. The next thing I knew, Lauren was being dragged away by a horrific-looking dog. She was screaming and struggling, but she couldn't break free. Fortunately, I was fast enough for me to be able to follow them. I pursued them all the way into their headquarters, inside the active volcano just beyond the outskirts of the city. I was horrified to discover Lauren, caged and hanging above the glowing magma at the center. I heard a voice behind me say, 'This is what humans will eventually do to you.' Then, they dropped her. I was forced to watch my owner die perilously. I'll never forget her scream that broke my heart. I heard another voice say, "Get out of here or you're next.' I ran away in horror. Pretty soon, Lauren was declared deceased according to the obituaries I stumbled across. And, that is the story about how both Xavier and myself lost our closest friend."

"Oh." Replied Squirt, who was horrified by the story, but now understood how Ty knew about them. To even the present day, Mel had never known the truth about Lauren. She was heartbroken when she learned how tragic her death really was. It was Mel's turn to try to comfort Ty. She lifted his chin from the ground so she could look at him. "If there's anyone who knows how you feel, it's me. I went through the same thing, and it haunted me forever. But you seem strong, Ty. I know you can be strong, even in terrible circumstances." She said.

Ty smiled back. "Thank you." He hugged her and stood up He went straight to business and called the Pound Puppies. "Ready, everyone?" He asked. Everybody nodded. "I can show you how to get there. Let's go!" He shouted and started walking. Everyone else, now filled with bravery and confidence began to follow him out of the alley.

Once they could begin their journey, Lucky stopped Ty. "Alright. I'll take the lead from here." He said. "But, I know how to get there, and..." Ty tried to explain. He was interrupted. "You can show me the way, but, you are still just a puppy. You and Mel will be in the back with Strudel." He commanded. Ty disappointedly walked back with Mel following him. "Alright, little ones. Time to tell Lucky where to go." Said Strudel. Ty sighed. "Okay, but the trip will take multiple days. We will have to stop sometime." He explained as he pointed the way to Lucky.

Along the way, the Pound Puppies began noticing Mel and Ty start to talk to each other. They had finally had a chance to truly have conversations with each other. Even the Pound Puppies found it adorable to see them become closer. It made them happy knowing they knew each other and could understand one another.

Over the course of the trip, they spoke with each other more and more, and began finding more things they have in common. Over just a day, they had already become close friends. Although they were only friends, both of them felt something warm and strong for one another, and whenever they would look at each other, it would melt their hearts. Something told them they belonged together.

Dusk was about to fall, and the Pound Puppies had stopped for the night. Lucky, Cookie, Strudel, Squirt, and Niblet were each trying to set up their own section of the campground. Mel and Ty had sat down next to each other while they finished their conversation. They were talking and laughing together, and their friendship had noticeably grown so much, the Pound Puppies couldn't look away from them; they hadn't seen a more adorable and perfectly-matched pair in a long time.

Mel had just finished a sentence when Lucky came over to them. "So, you pups think you can go gather some firewood for us? We'd really appreciate it." He asked. They quickly went off and did as they were told. Lucky and the others did need firewood, but his ulterior motive was for them to spend as much time together as possible. He believed they need to get to know each other as much as possible if they were to help each other in the dangerous mission they were about to face.

Mel and Ty soon found themselves in the forest, gathering pieces of flammable objects. Mel had believed she found a miracle when she met Ty. Now, she was having such a memorable time, she almost forgot where they were all headed on the trip; she almost forgot about Xavier, until she suddenly found herself thinking about him again. She lost her previous train of thought and sat down on top of a hill to think about him. Ty noticed her and stopped searching. He recognized her expression again, and sat down next to her, hoping he could comfort her once again.

The hill provided a view of a brilliant golden sunset, which convinced Ty to speak to her. "Beautiful sunset, right?" He said awkwardly. He realized it was a poor attempt to start a conversation with her. Mel didn't respond; she just continued staring outward. He thought about his next sentence harder. "Do you think he's alright?" He said. Mel sighed and replied, "I hope so." She knew exactly who he was talking about. "Don't worry. We'll rescue him." Ty reached across her back and pulled himself closer, and Mel did the same.

"So, after the mission; I'll have Xavier back again, but where will you go?" Asked Mel. She hoped he had somewhere to go; she considered the loss of his person again. "I'll probably go to where I've been living: the alley behind the old restaurant you were near." He answered somewhat disappointedly. Mel grew a little sad. She disapproved of someone like him living in a dark gutter, so she decided to give him another option. "Well, maybe you can come back with us? We could live, together!" She hopefully suggested. "Really?" He replied, smiling. Mel nodded sincerely. Ty was almost brought to tears by her kindness. "This is why destiny brought me to you." He said softly. They looked outward again together. There was then a short moment of silence. "Yes, it is quite a beautiful sunset." Answered Mel quietly.


	13. S2: Where It All Started

**Note: I know this chapter moves really quickly, and I'm sorry. I just need to fit a big amount of plot in just one chapter so I have room later.**

 _Choose your next actions very carefully. Death and destruction will be brought on to all that oppose us. Consider this a warning to all humans and human-admiring canines._

It was still dark outside. Lucky had gone out, away from the group to look for Mel and Ty. It had been a few hours since they left, and Lucky had started to get worried. After a few minutes of searching, he looked to the cliff overlooking their campsite. He found them, sleeping together near the start of the cliff. Lucky smiled proudly Relieved, he then left them alone. He laid back down further away, but he made sure they were still in his sight, so he could keep an eye on them.

The next morning, everyone had quickly cleaned up after themselves and were ready to get an early start on the second half of their journey. "Alright, gang. We have a dangerous mission ahead of us. It's time to get back into action." Said Lucky. He ran off according to Ty's instructions, followed by the rest of the Pound Puppies, with Mel and Ty behind. They had completely left civilization and there was no sign of anyone anywhere.

A few hours later, a mountain had soon come into view. It was enormous from the moment they saw it. It was very gray, but it became blacker towards the top. Dark, thick clouds loomed down just over it, casting a massive shadow on top of it. Ty was slightly intimidated by the ominous appearance of the volcano. Mel could see it due to his worried look.

Before they even knew it, they had reached the base. "Okay, Ty. How do we enter?" Asked Lucky quickly. Everyone was extremely nervous. Ty took a deep breath. "The entrance is near us. But it's small, so to find it, you will have to look for it carefully." He said. "Alright. Everyone, search around. See if you can find it." The Pound Puppies began to look for it, searching around the base of the volcano. Mel and Ty watched the others fan out, but they stayed put. "Ty, I'm scared." Said Mel. Ty sat down beside her and smiled. "Me, too." He said back. They hugged each other once again.

Pretty soon, Squirt had discovered what he believed to be the entrance. "Hey guys! I think I found it!" He shouted. The others, including Mel and Ty, ran over to examine it. It was a small hole, leading into a narrow tunnel. "What do you think, Ty?" Asked Cookie. "That would be it." He said with reluctance. Lucky stood in front of it and sighed. "This is it, gang. We came this far for this moment. No matter what happens, or what we discover inside, we're Pound Puppies, and we rescue others in need. So, let's go dogs, go!" He shouted.

Lucky entered first, followed by Cookie, Strudel, Squirt, and eventually Niblet. It was a fight squeeze, but they managed to move along decently. Ty looked inside. "This is it, Mel. This is the place I lost my owner. Where I lost everything." He said. He began to sob, but Mel wiped his tears off his face. "We're in this together." She said smiling. Ty returned it. They looked into the tunnel, and back at each other again. "Ready?" Asked Mel. Ty shook off his feelings and nodded. Mel then began crawling through the tunnel, shortly followed by Ty.

They crawled for minutes before seeing a strange-colored light just ahead. Shortly after, they emerged from the tunnel. They were standing in a massive chamber. The heat was immense and there was no natural light; only the glow of the massive magma pool in the center. Mel had never seen anything like it, but Ty remembered it all too well. They looked around for the Pound Puppies, and finally saw them on the other side of the perimeter. Though, something was obstructing their view of them. Mel walked closer to it to see what it was.

The light from the volcanic magma gave her just enough vision to see. There was a chain hanging from a pulley at the top of the chamber. At the bottom of the chain hung a large cage. Mel thought she saw a person inside. Upon closer inspection, she confirmed there was someone inside. "Xavier!" She whispered.

The Pound Puppies ran back to them. "Pups! What on earth are you doing here? It's much too dangerous!" Shouted Lucky. Mel and Ty backed away from them. "It doesn't matter now. Listen. Strudel will explain the plan." He continued. Strudel stepped forward. "Alright. I will retract the cage using the control panel, while Squirt, Niblet, Cookie, and Lucky will free Xavier from the cage. As for you two, your job is to wait outside." She commanded sternly. "But, we..." Began Mel. "No! Go wait outside until our job is done! And also, be very cautious. Active volcanoes such as this are highly sensitive. Any disturbance in seismic pressure can cause the magma level to rise!" Shouted Strudel.

The Pound Puppies executed her plan immediately. Strudel ran to the panel and Lucky ran as close as he could get to Xavier. He barked, and Xavier looked toward him with surprise. "Who are you!?" He asked. Strudel had found a button labelled as a platform extension. She pressed it, and a narrow metal beam extended where Lucky was standing. Lucky was surprised and looked at Strudel, who waved to him and gestured him to walk onto it. Xavier watched as Lucky walked across. He grabbed the cage door and attempted to pull it open.

Meanwhile, Ty and Mel were sitting next to each other, watching the Pound Puppies try to free Xavier. "At least I know he's okay." Said Mel. Ty nodded. "I get the feeling everything will work out fine." He said. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the center of the chamber. Mel and Ty saw that Lucky had successfully broke the cage open. Lucky barked again, trying to get Xavier her to follow him. Xavier was confused, and had no idea what was happening. He was also really scared, and now that the cage was open, he hurried out no matter what the circumstance. They were almost across when a deep, demonic, horrible voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I don't think so!" It shouted. Suddenly, very large dogs emerged from the tunnel. They seized each of the Pound Puppies along with Xavier. Then, a black dog with almost red eyes approached Ty and Mel. The dog appeared strangely familiar to Mel. "Change of plans. Looks like there will be two more deaths happening today." He said, growling.


	14. S2: An Eternal Sacrifice

_The time has come. You have made the wrong decision. Prepare to die._

Mel and Ty stood in horror as the dog who might as well be the devil himself stared them both dead in the eye. They trembled and were completely frozen. "You came to witness our mass genocide of the human race." He started. He leaned closer and spoke slowly. "You may be shocked to find out that we target everybody who associated with them." He said. Raisin his head up, he commanded something else to the other three dogs under his command. "Throw these two in the cage along with the boy. We are doing this right this time." He shouted.

The dogs had taken hold of Mel, Ty, and Xavier. They walked across the platform and violently threw them into the cage. The metal was soldering hot and it burnt the three of them slightly. The Pound Puppies tried to get them out again, but the dogs stopped them. The black dog approached them from behind. "The only task you have now is to watch what happens when you put trust in humans." He said. The Pound Puppies stood at the edge of the magma pool hopelessly.

Mel turned to Xavier within the cage and ran up to him. Xavier her smiled and picked her up. "It's so good to see you, girl. How on earth did you find me?" He said. It was obvious he did not expect her to answer, but Mel did anyway.

"Xavier, this is Ty. He told me, along with the help of the Pound Puppies. They're the ones who delivered me to you. Ty was Lauren's pup, until she was brought here, just like you have. Unfortunately, the ACHRA was successful, and she died here, in this exact spot. You still remember Lauren, right?" Said Mel. Xavier stared at her in complete confusion on how to feel. "Mel, you talk!?" He asked in surprise. Mel nodded. "Yes, Xavier. We all do." She whispered. Xavier started to tear up. "Is it true? She was killed, by them? I remember her so well." He said. Ty walked up to Xavier as well. " Me, too, Xavier." He said.

Suddenly, the cage shook and began to descend. The platform retracted and the Pound Puppies looked around. The black dog was at the control panel. "It begins here." He said. The Pound Puppies continued to watch, desperate and waiting for an idea from anyone. They continued to stare on. "This marks the beginning of our master revolution. Everyone who ever lived humans will be slaughtered." Mel gasped when she heard his next words. "Dead forever, just like Blake." He smiled, hoping to provoke her. "How do you know about Blake!?" She shouted. Despite drawing ever closer to their death, the black dog continued monologuing.

"Do you really think your friend died by chance? Do you really think I would let something like that slide? No! I heard your plans pertaining to humans. I took control of the car, and forced it out of control. It was I who hit your friend. It was I who killed him. It was never a vehicle accident. It was the beginning of a genocide. Every Woof-Bark-Tooth day, we search for first-time victims to keep the world safe from humans. I murdered him to ensure you will never be with a human. I did it as a warning. But, you have not heeded to my message." He said. Mel was crying the whole time. "You bastard!" She shouted. "How does a cold-blooded murderer like you live with yourself!?"

By that time, the Pound Puppies had abandoned all hope. But, Lucky had finally come through. He suddenly turned around and bolted something out. "Forget every ounce of logic or safety. Do not let that cage enter the magma!" He shouted. Without even thinking twice, Lucky thrusted himself onto the black dog. He fought him so much, he was certain someone was going to end up dead. Strudel took the control and reversed the direction of the cage. Another dog was about to tackle Strudel, when everyone else stopped him. Ty, Mel, and Xavier were being carried to safety. Strudel also extended the platform again, and Squirt and Niblet set them free again. Squirt barked to tell Xavier where to go. "It's okay, Squirt." Said Mel. Squirt rolled his eyes. "Just follow me, kid." He said. Xavier followed Squirt and Niblet across the platform.

Lucky rejoined the group holding off the rest of the ACHRA from reaching Ty, Mel, and Xavier again. "So, how are you doin... Whoa!" Asked Cookie. She shouted when she saw Lucky. He had blood running down his legs and scratch marks in various spots on his body. "I'm fine, Cookie. Don't worry about me." He said. "So, where's that one black dog?" Asked Squirt.

The dog tackled Strudel right then. "Not so fast!" He shouted. The control panel short-circuited and the pully system overheated. The whole mechanism fell to the floor, hitting the ground very hard before the cage and the entirety of the chain fell into the lava. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the floor began to shake and grumble. "What's happening?" Shouted Lucky. "The volcano can't take that kind of disturbance. It's going to erupt!" Shouted Strudel. "Then we should get out of here quickly!" Yelled Cookie.

The magma started to jump out of the pool and it gradually began to rise. "Everyone, the exit, now!" Yelled Lucky. The Pound Puppies ran through and out the tunnel except for Lucky. The ACHRA was running for it, too, but Lucky stood in their path. "No, not you! " He growled. Cookie came back through. "Lucky! You have to leave!" She said worriedly. Lucky finally decided to leave. He turned around and headed back, noticing Mel and Ty, who were still inside. "Pups! Get outside!" He commanded.

Just then, the volcano shook and rumbled again, causing Lucky, Ty, Mel, and the ACHRA to fall towards the magma pool; the surface level had become higher significantly. Lucky and Ty were able to keep their balance, but Mel had rolled over the side. She caught the ledge and hung over the ever-ascending magma.

Lucky and Ty ran over to her. "Mel! I'll pull you up!" He yelled. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to shout over the noises of the volcano. Mel lifted her paw to grab hold of Lucky, but something added a tremendous amount of weight to herself. The black dog had bitten the end of her tail and was holding onto her. Mel was forced to grab back onto the ledge. She was hearing an immense strain on her front legs. "Please, just go. If you save me, you'll be saving the ACHRA as well. They will just resume their activity." Insisted Mel. "Don't say that. Come on! We'll find a way to get you up!" Shouted Ty. The magma level was accelerating at an alarming rate. "I need to stop the ACHRA. This is the only way. It's a temporary sacrifice that will last for eternity." She continued.

"Let go, and you perish along with me!" Said the black dog. "Mel, don't let go!" Shouted Ty. Mel sighed deeply and smiled. "Take care of Xavier for me." She said. She then let go of the ledge. Mel and the black dog were falling downward into their destruction. "No!" Cried Ty. The volcano shook again, and the magma level had raised above the floor and was flooding the ground. Ty was frozen in horror, but Lucky grabbed him and dragged him out of the volcano.

The rest of the Pound Puppies, along with Xavier, we're waiting for them outside. "You made it, you guys!" Shouted Niblet joyfully. Xavier was happy to see them, too. He looked around and noticed the absence of his puppy. "Hey, where's Mel?" He asked. Ty had tears running down his face. This was the only clue he needed to figure out Mel never made it out.

Magma filled the tunnel completely. It leaked out the hole. A miniscule amount also leaked out the top. It had completely filled the volcano. Ty was facing the volcano, crying as hard as he did when the same thing happened to Lauren. Xavier kneeled next to him and closed his eyes. They had a lot of memory-recalling to do.

 _Six Months Later_

Just about every dog in the country had heard about the ACHRA and how Mel was the dog who saved humanity. Ty had told other dogs he saw, and the story eventually began spreading like a wildfire. It was just a way for Xavier and Ty to remember Mel. They wanted the whole world to know what she did.

Everything returned to normal at Shelter 17. The Pound Puppies had finished another successful adoption. "Great job, gang! Another one down!" Said Lucky. As the crew we cheering, Ketchum's van drove through the gates. His purpose was not to drop a newcomer off, however. Xavier stepped out of the passenger seat holding Ty. They often came to the Pound for visits. They would speak with one another and Xavier had become close friends with the Pound Puppies. Xavier and Ty would also talk with each other. He now lived with him. Taking care of Xavier was a promise Ty was never going to break. For the both of them, this was a journey to remember.

 _Mel awoke in an unfamiliar place. She was startled. She looked around. It looked like earth, but it didn't feel like earth. She was lighter than she remembered. The sun gave off a brilliant, beautiful ray of light, and numerous clouds were scattered along the sky. Everything she looked at, including herself, emitted a great aura of light. She looked ahead, and saw a figure standing in front of her. She approached it, and she began to see a familiar face. It turned out to be Blake, her old constant companion. She slowly walked to him, feeling the strange urge to remain calm, even though she was excited beyond her emotion. He was smiling brightly. "I've been waiting for you." He chuckled. Mel missed him so much. She hugged him, and eventually, they ran off together. She had a feeling she was going to like wherever she was._

 **End of Season 2**


	15. S3: Getting By

**Author's note: This will be the final season. Why am I making another one? Simply because I wasn't comfortable with the ending being the final ending; I feel like there's still more to tell. Also, the success of this story grew so much more than I expected, it would be wrong not to completely finish it. So, I present this final addition to this story.**

 **The Journey 3**

 _Mel looked her mother in the eye, unsure about what she was doing. "Um, are you sure? I know the others like it, but..." She stopped midway, when her mother replied. "Yes; please don't worry." She lifted Mel's chin higher. "I wouldn't be making you do this if it weren't for your own good." She continued. " But, I'm just, unsure. It doesn't feel right; I'm just not that kind of puppy." Said Mel. Her mother sat next to her. "Mel, I know you've always been different. That's why I'm encouraging you to try new things out." She explained gently. Her owner, a tall, middle-aged woman, came by and rested her hand on her back. "So, you sure you'll take good care of them all?" She said. Another woman, slightly older, answered with a nod. "Don't worry; your pups will be in good hands!" She assured, with a grin on her face. Mel looked back at her mother, still with an uneasy expression. "It'll be okay. Now, go join your brothers and sisters. I'll be back soon." She said. She smiled as she walked away with her owner, back to her van. Then, the older woman took Mel and her five other siblings inside the small room within the store._

"So, how is everything going with you?" Asked Lucky. He and the rest of the Pound Puppies made sure to check up on Xavier and Ty at their home every so often. The Pound Puppies were all the friends they had left. They were peeking through Xavier's bedroom window and trying to start a conversation with them. Xavier didn't respond; instead, he just smiled. Ty was the one who answered. "We're doing fine!" He said back. The both of them looked at each other with the same sense of pseudo-expression they gave the Pound Puppies. "Well, sorry we can't stay. We have another important matter to attend to. Take care!" Said Lucky before leaving, giving them a grin of relief.

Once they were out of sight, Xavier and Ty sighed in melancholy. They hated lying to the Pound Puppies. It has been six months since the death of their friend that changed their lives. Ever since her victory over the ACHRA, neither of their lives have been the same, and they were too afraid to admit it. Of course, Xavier's father, Officer Ketchum, has noticed the disappearance of Mel, but also noticed Ty. Xavier never told him what happened; he simply claimed that he got a new dog.

Lying in their room, Ty looked up at Xavier. "So, how much longer do we have to keep this up? I can't stand the Pound Puppies visiting us. It just reminds me of Mel's death, which is something I wouldn't mind erasing from my memory." He said sadly. "I wouldn't worry about it. I lost Mel, too, and whenever I think of her, I think of the good part of her sacrifice, not the bad part. We may not have liked it, but it's what needed to be done." Replied Xavier. He came closer to Ty to talk to him more directly. "Keep your head high. We should remember her, not long for her back." He continued. Xavier smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks; and so did Ty.

Back at Shelter 17, the Pound Puppies had had an abnormally dull few days. Niblet and Squirt were playing with a flying disc, Cookie and Lucky were lying in the sunlight together, and Strudel was working below ground. It was the quiet period for them; the period in which new puppies to place were scarce and the gang could take much-needed off-time.

Niblet's throw went over the fence of the kennel, and Squirt went under the fence to retrieve it. He stopped in the middle of the parking lot and looked around for it. "Come on, Squirt!" He heard Niblet shout. After a couple minutes, he finally spotted it near the front gate. As he ran to retrieve it, he stepped into the gate's shadow to pick it up, but sight of a weird figure startled him. Squirt found himself staring at a silhouette about his size a few inches in front of him. All he could see were its eyes, and it was staring right back at him.

After he shook off his nerve, he stood up straight again. "Hey, pip-squeak, how about you move so I can get our stuff back, huh?" He said jokingly. The figure stepped forward and completely shattered the disc in one single move. A half-black, half-white pup stepped out of the shadow. "How about you call me pip-squeak one last time?" She said quietly but aggressively, as she walked up to Squirt. He backed up a few inches, but she followed him. "Yeesh, what gives?" He said. He looked up and found that the Pound Puppies weren't looking at him anymore. "I came here for important business. Make yourself useful and show me who's in charge around here." She demanded. Squirt gave her a stubborn look. "Why should I? You're not the boss of me!" He shouted. The puppy became agitated and pressed her face to his. "Do as I say, and maybe you won't end up like the frisbee!" She yelled. Squirt whimpered and pointed toward the kennel.

Lucky, Cookie, and Niblet were interrupted when Squirt emerged from the tunnels. "Alright, guys. I have somebody for you to meet." He said as the puppy came up from behind Squirt. Strudel joined the others upstairs, as well. The four gathered around her as Lucky began to speak. "Hi there, gal. Welcome to Sh..." He was interrupted by her midway through his sentence. "Cut the soft stuff! We need to talk." She shouted. All five of them were suddenly surprised. "Alright," Lucky began. "I'm Lucky, and we're the Pound Puppies. You're at Shelter 17, where we..." He was interrupted again. "You're the Pound Puppies? I thought you'd be more sophisticated. I know very well what you do." She said. "Well, great!" Replied Lucky. "Yes, it is. Now, I just need to talk to all of you." She said sternly. This statement annoyed both Lucky and Cookie. "Look, miss. I don't know who you think you are, but while you're here, the least you can do is drop the attitude and let us show you around! Is that clear?" Yelled Cookie. The puppy simply displayed a smug grin. "Very well. I'll participate in your frivolous small-talk, if it means I can cut to the chase faster." She said quietly. "Great. Let's start over. What's your name?" Lucky asked politely. The puppy smiled and politely answered. "My name is Tera. It's a pleasure to meet you."


	16. S3: Tera

_Mel stepped into the strange room, and looked around her new environment. Around her, she found several playthings and entertainment devices. She became very uncomfortable with being moved to a new place so suddenly. She looked around to see if anyone else felt the same way, but was surprised to see everyone else running, eager to get used to everything. The small room suddenly became consumed with the cheerful noises of Mel's older siblings. She looked on at everyone else, who had seemingly completely forgotten about her. After deciding not to participate, which was not a difficult decision for her, she walked to a quiet corner and laid down. Away from loud or social interaction was where she felt the least overwhelmed. She couldn't fall asleep, though, and she remained there for a long time._

"Alright, Tera. Let's take you downstairs." Said Lucky. Tera reluctantly followed. When they hopped down through to the underside of the pound, Strudel began taking the lead of the tour. "This is the FKD." Said Strudel as they walked into a different room. Tera looked at it, and shook her head in disappointment. "You mean this terribly outdated and extremely space-inefficient antique you call high-tech? I could build a better model in seconds." Said Tera, unimpressed and impatient. The Pound Puppies stood in surprise. Strudel gave her a sarcastic expression. "Right. Of course." She said blankly. Unamused, she continued speaking.

"Anyways, this machine finds your perfect human match based on your characteristics and interests. It's one of my own designs, which cannot be beaten!" Continued Strudel. Still unimpressed, Tera interrupted again. "Yeah, that's nice. So, when is the part where I can talk to you? This is urgent!" She said. Everybody became a little annoyed. Lucky stepped forward. "Alright! What is so important you need to tell us right now?" He asked impatiently. Tera sighed and began to explain.

"Listen, Pound Puppies, I need your help, urgently. You all are in terrible danger. It all started when I began an experiment back home: a canine cyborg constructed from actual organic tissue enhanced with electronic replacements. When the experiment was completed, it immediately went completely rogue, and ran off, destroying anything in its path. At first, its destination was unclear, so I checked the program's output terminal, and I found that it contained memory from when the biological specimen was still alive. In other words, it's coming here. I had to make sure I arrived here first, to warn you so you can evacuate. I can take care of it."

"So, let me get this straight. A killer robot you built is coming to destroy us?" Squirt said quietly. Tera looked at him in disgust. "It's not a robot, it's a cyborg." She replied. Her correction triggered a response she was not expecting. All five Pound Puppies suddenly burst out laughing in a plentiful amount. Squirt was rolling on the floor, almost immobilized. "Alright, let's go find this comedian a human!" Shouted Strudel, still laughing. All five began slowly walking to the FKD, but Tera remained where she was. "You think I'm joking!?" Shouted Tera in a very serious tone. No one paid attention to her, though.

"Alright, Tera. Tell me some of your likes of dislikes." Said Strudel. Tera backed up from them. "I travelled on foot for days, only to be taken for a fool when I try to warn you about the danger you're in. You better wish I have what it takes to stop it, because if I don't, you'll wish you would've listened to me from the very start." Tera shouted as she ran into the tunnels. They were surprised when she found her way out on her own. "What was she talking about?" Whispered Niblet. Squirt was the only one who answered. "I have no idea." He responded. "Tera, wait!" Shouted Lucky, in hopes he could at least find her a human, still. Cookie stopped him. "Just let her go, it's her loss." She said softly. Lucky sighed and turned away from the tunnel.

Night had soon fallen over the city. Tera continued to journey in the direction she had came from. It was late in the evening when she wound up in an alleyway. She was tired, but she was determined to protect the Pound Puppies, even if they continued to believe she was only being delusional. She laid down to wait for the inevitable, and a few minutes later, it came. She began hearing heavy footsteps gradually become louder and closer. "I've been waiting for you. It's time to end what I've created." Said Tera, staring at the street beneath her. The only thing she could see was a singular red eye glowing from the shadow the walls created, and the reflection of the moon on a silver metal surface above it.

The machine began to charge. Tera stayed completely motionless. It shoved her over with such force, she was knocked back, and she said across the floor, but she got back up quickly. It tried to run past her, but she grabbed ahold of its hind leg. It turned around and struck her across her face. She flinched, but she didn't let go. It hit and scratched her several times with extreme strength, and it began to become difficult to hold it back. It jumped up high into the air, causing Tera to finally let go, and landed directly onto her, which knocked the wind out of her.

Tera found herself close enough to it to attempt to deactivate it. She opened the panel on the left side of its body, and frantically searched for the correct wires to disconnect, but the cyborg bit her foreleg, stopping her. The panel closed and resealed. Tera laid on the street with her leg in the half-mechanical jaws of her creation. It began clenching its mouth, placing an immense pressure on her leg. It continued to bite downward, until something finally snapped. Tera yelled, and the cyborg left and ran toward Shelter 17.

Tera laid on the side of the dark alley, in pain and defeated. Blood was visible on her back, face, and side, and it was leaking out of her right foreleg very badly. Tera found no need to try and heal herself. She couldn't even move. "Well, Pound Puppies, may a miracle come your way." She thought. She continued to think about where she was deciding to go. She could either go back or attempt to pursue it, even though she understood she no longer stood a chance against it. She also pondered about how the specimen knew about the Pound Puppies or Shelter 17 to begin with. So many mysteries vexed Tera, and she felt ignorant not knowing any knowledge on any of them. She wanted to begin with how she was going to walk again.


	17. S3: The Miracle

_Two men dressed in black wool garments quickly walked up to their room. Everyone, including Mel, looked up at them in confusion. One of them revealed a large crate and set it down in front of the entrance. They quickly looked around the room. "No one's here, man." One said smugly. The other looked down at the six puppies and placed some food in the crate. He started whistling gently. "Come on, pups! Over here!" He called quietly. The five pups noticed the men, and the food lying in the crate. They began walking toward them as the other man directed them into the crate. "Yo, there's still one in the corner right there." He said. Mel looked up, not noticing what had been going on. As the five entered the crate and began to snack, one of the men yelled, "Grab it!" The other walked to the side of the room and grabbed Mel by her collar. He tossed her into the crate along with the others and violently shut the crate. None of them quite knew what was happening, nor if it was supposed to happen. The men picked up the crate and walked out of the store, to their large van. They threw it in and slammed the back doors shut. Then, they both got in the front and drove off in a hurry. A short, shrill scream was heard inside the store as they departed._

Back at the pound, things have returned to normal, and it was unexciting at Shelter 17 once again. Lucky, Cookie, and Strudel were meeting with each other to discuss various topics, while Squirt paced outside waiting for something to do. Whenever he thought of entertainment ing himself, he thought of the flying disc, and thought of Tera and their strange interaction with her.

Niblet was laying in the tunnel, watching television. He didn't understand anything the particular channel he was viewing was saying, but he found himself entertained by it anyway. The news story that was playing read, "This morning, we have an interesting claim on something you're sure never to forget!" "I assure you, folks. It's all true. I was it with my own eyes!" Claimed a man in a gray uniform. He turned to the camera. "So, tell us what you saw last night, again, Mr. Smith!" Asked a news anchor, holding a microphone to his mouth. The man began to explain. "Well, I was walking from work, late at night, when I saw it. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. It was a dog, with several mechanical parts! It walked out of an alley, with blood dripping from its jaws!" Said the man, remaining calm. The news anchor turned toward the camera, as well. "Mr. Smith also managed to capture this video footage of his strange discovery." She said.

The display switched to a low-resolution video of a figure, walking out of the alley. It had a glowing red eye and was halfway constructed of metal. A sudden jolt of the cyborg's head toward the camera frightened Niblet, and caused him to turn off the TV. He then giggled a little bit. "What a funny channel!" He said.

Mr. Smith ran through the doors of a large building. He hurried through several office hallways and doors, and into a small room. There was an old man at a large ebony desk, sitting in a large black chair. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Said Mr. Smith. "Yes, I did. I saw you on TV." He said. Mr. Smith smiled nervously. " Oh, really?" He mumbled. "Now, Smith. We're one of the best dog-catching businesses in the country, and I will not have one of my best employees looking like a complete fool on live television!" Shouted the man. "Dog-cyborg? Roaming the streets? Seriously?" He continued to rant. Mr. Smith ran up to him. "But sir, it's true, I swear!" He insisted. The man smiled. "Right. Now you're going to show me and the news channel's poor audience. You are to capture this cyborg, claim you've made the streets safe again, and show the press, or you're finished. Do I make myself clear, Smith?" He said. "Yes, sir." He replied. He quietly walked out of the room.

"Alright, everyone." Called Lucky. The four other Pound Puppies came quickly. " Today, we have important business to attend do. First... " Lucky stopped talking. He had a confused look on his face. "Um, Lucky?" Said Cookie, stepping forward. "Shh, I hear something." He said quietly. The others tried to listen, as well. It was a faint, heavy, metallic noise. Every couple seconds, they heard the sound of heavy metal hit the ground. It gradually grew louder, and suddenly stopped. "Hey Strudel, one of your machines is acting up. You better go check it out." Suggested Lucky. Strudel looked back and hurried to see what was the matter. She looked around the tunnel, but nothing seemed to be making the noise. She turned around to look at everyone else. "Well?" Called Squirt. "Nothings wrong!" She shouted.

She was about to start walking back, but she was suddenly dragged backward. She let out a loud scream. The others gasped and ran toward her. They were extremely shocked to find a small mechanical dog standing over her. All four of them gasped again and attempted to run away, but the cyborg leaped out at them before they could move. It knocked Lucky over and was heading toward him, but Squirt stopped it. It kicked him backward and knocked him very far back. Cookie attempted to contain it, but it was stronger than her and broke free. It bit her front leg, and she jerked it back out. She moaned due to the pain, though no serious damage done. "Ugh! How do you deactivate this thing? We need to do it before it destroys us!" Shouted Squirt.

They suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Open the panel!" It said. It was very raspy and quiet. They turned around to see Tera, limping out of the tunnel. She was hurt, worn out, and tired. She collapsed to the floor as soon as she entered the room. Strudel ran over to her. "Are you okay? What happened to you?" She asked frantically. "Well, let's just say I got in a fight." Whispered Tera. "Whatever it is you're doing, Strudel, I hope you hurry it up!" Shouted Squirt. "Alright, quick. How do we deactivate it?" Asked Strudel. Tera looked up and sighed. "There's a small panel on the left side of the cyborg's body. Open it and disconnect the processor from the main power source." She said. Without saying another word, Strudel ran back to help the others.

"Do you think they'll be expecting us?" Asked Ty. "Probably not. It's not a scheduled visit." Replied Xavier. They both walked down the road to Shelter 17. When they arrived, they found no dogs above ground, not even their decoys. "Huh, that's odd." Remarked Ty. They both looked around to make sure no one was watching, and they ran around the pound to the back, where they entered the tunnels.

"Alright, I know what to do!" Yelled Strudel as she ran toward everyone else. "Great, because I believe we have it contained, at least for now." Said Cookie. Strudel found each of the Pound Puppies, each struggling to hold one of the cyborg's limbs to the floor. She stepped forward and examined its body. She finally found the hatch Tera was referring to, and reached for it, but a sudden distraction diverted the attention of the cyborg, and it turned its head and broke free of the Pound Puppies' grip, rendering the panel out of reach. It was Ty and Xavier, shocked to see what was happening.

"Ty? Xavier? What are you doing here? Get out of here!" Yelled Lucky. The cyborg began running toward them very quickly. Xavier turned to run, but Ty sat down and started at it. Xavier stopped when he realized Ty wasn't following him. There was something about the size of the cyborg that confused him. But then, he was something. Underneath the black and purple natural hair that was parted over the non-mechanical eye, he saw long eyelashes and a large scar. "Mel?" He said in confusion.

The cyborg reacted very strongly to the word. It stopped it its tracks and looked downward obliviously. The five Pound Puppies did not know what was going on, and they gathered around it, which was no longer acting aggressively. As they waited for something to happen, the cyborg said, "Yes, that was my name, wasn't it?"

Ty ran up and hugged her; tears flowing out of his eyes. "Mel, I missed you so much!" He shouted joyfully. Xavier came forward, too. Mel was smiling immensely; somehow she missed them all, too. The Pound Puppies all joined in, both excited and confused. "So, what happened when I was away? The last thing I remember was falling down the volcano. Did I survive?" She asked. They all found that her voice had a mechanical tone to it. "We have so much to catch up on! It's been six months." Answered Ty. Amazed, Mel looked behind her. Tera slowly made her way to standing. "I have a question. Who exactly are they?" She asked.


	18. S3: A New Friend

_The pups laid motionless, scared and worried. They were hearing small pieces of the men's conversations when they were quiet. "So, what are we going to do with 'em?" One asked. The other looked back at the crate, and looked back at him. "Don't worry. I made a sick deal with someone and we're going to go meet him!" He answered. About five minutes later, the pups began to hear a strange noise. No one knew what it was, but Mel recognized it. She used to listen to the environment around her whenever she was outside, and she occasionally heard it on TV whenever it was on. The noise became loud enough for the men to hear. "Oh, shit." Shouted one of the men. "Should we?" One asked. The other sighed, grunted loudly, and slammed his fist on the steering wheel in rage. The puppies felt the van stop."Both of you, step out of the vehicle!" They heard. The other pups became even more frightened, but Mel knew what was happening. A large feeling of relief had overcome her._

"And that's how we ended up at the bottom of a dumpster!" Said Ty, laughing. Xavier was sitting next to him, laughing along. Mel giggled. "Wow, it sure sounds like you had a lot of fun without me!" She responded. Ty and Xavier had settled down. Ty pondered her statement a little m ore, and realized what she just said. "So, what other stuff did you do?" Asked Mel, enthusiastic to hear more. "Actually, Mel, there's something I want you to know." He said. Mel looked at him with a confused look. "Oh, okay." She said calmly. "You know, we did have some good times, but not having you there with us made it next to impossible to have fun." Started Xavier. "Yeah. And even though I had only knew you for about a week, we had gotten so close, and you had me thinking about you every single moment after I met you." Said Ty. Mel stood up, smiling at them. "Really?" She asked softly. Ty and Xavier looked at each other and then nodded.

In the room adjacent to them, Lucky walked in to where Strudel was, along with Tera. "How is it coming along, Strudel?" He asked. "And, done!" She said a few seconds later. "Excellent! Now Tera, how about you go talk to the others in the other room? They'd love to meet you." Suggested Lucky. As Xavier, Ty, and Mel continued to chat, Tera began walking toward them. Squirt and Cookie had also joined them in the room. "So, how's your leg feeling?" Asked Cookie. "Better. It's broken completely through in two places. Strudel helped bandage it, though, so now at least I can walk." Explained Tera. She looked at the three others, who were staring back at her with a strange glare. Tera sighed and slowly walked toward them, slightly nervous. She sat down next to the rest of them and awkwardly stared back.

Mel examined herself quickly. She had one mechanical front leg, and one in the back. Half of her face was made out of metal, as was most of her body. She then looked back at Tera. "So, you brought me back to life, right?" Said Mel coming closer to Tera, in hopes to start a conversation. It didn't really work, as Tera simply nodded. "Well, how did you do it?" She asked, knowing this was a question she couldn't shrug off. Tera sighed again and began to explain.

"Well, after I had completed my previous project, I was outdoors wandering around, hoping to come up with more ideas for experiments. Well, that's when I came across something that almost scared me to death. It was a heavily mangled corpse of a puppy, about my size. I didn't know what to think of it, because I've never seen anything like it before. But, I realized it could be the perfect opportunity for me to experiment with reanimating life forms. I replaced missing parts with animatronic duplicates, and the next thing I know, I had accidentally revived an old being." She said quickly and unenthusiastically. She didn't like speaking of having conversations with others; she was more used to being alone when she did things.

Her explanation caught the attention of Strudel, who came to listen to her more. "Wait, you really did build her? But, you're just a puppy!" She shouted. Tera was annoyed at the statement. "Right. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" She said back sarcastically. "Um, nevermind." Replied Strudel. Ty began to take interest in learning more about her, as well. "So, where do you live?" He asked. Tera replied with a more gloomy tone. "I don't live anywhere. I'm a stray that wanders around, looking for something else to do or make. I do work in an old warehouse I found on the corner of a street. I don't know why, but finding someone to talk to was never an interest of mine. I have always been alone, and that's probably how it's going to stay." She answered.

Xavier and Ty looked at each other in sympathy. The rest of the Pound Puppies had come to join them in the room. Lucky and the others had overheard their conversation. "You know, Tera, if you would like us to find you a person, we can do that." Said Lucky. Tera seemed very disinterested in the idea. "Well, why would I want that? It would only cause more problems. Not to mention I would have to give up engineering." She said with concern. Lucky had told Strudel to try and find Tera a human anyway.

Tera gave a glum frown and stared back at the ground. Xavier felt bad for her. He figured that she must not have ever lived with anyone before, and he didn't want to let it continue to happen. "So, you've never known what it's like for someone to love you?" He asked. Tera thought about the question for a moment and realized how sad its circumstances actually were. "Well, I guess not. I guess I've been so busy, I haven't realized how alone I was. For the longest time, I was so isolated from the world, but now that I know you all, I guess living with people who care about you won't be so bad." Tera looked up and smiled. It was genuine and heartful; one of her first in her life. "You know, you could come live with us!" Suggested Ty.

Just then, Lucky walked into the room, followed by Strudel. Once Tera noticed them, she immediately became very anxious, and she suddenly started to second-guess her thoughts. Strudel was clearly ecstatic about her new announcement. "As it turns out, Xavier is the perfect human for two pups!" She said. Ty and Mel grew excited, too. Tera chuckled. "Well, it looks like I don't have a choice!" She shouted. But before she could say something else, Xavier picked her up and hugged her. It was the most loved she had ever felt.


	19. S3: Locksmith

_"Alright, what do we do with them?" Asked a police officer. Another gave a confused look back to him. "We take them to the police station! Why didn't you know that?" He answered. The other looked back at the convicts and another to the crate behind them. " No, I was referring to the stolen pups!" He shouted. The convicts looked upwards, curious as to where they would go. The officer put his finger on his chin, trying to remember what would happen. "Well, I suppose the stolen goods would become forfeit. The original owner cannot be tracked, so we'll find a place for them." He replied. About a week later at the station, Mel had began to notice the officer making several phone calls. Although she couldn't make out their conversations, she saw him talking to another one. She paid attention to their conversation, hearing, "Alright, I phoned Shelter 68. They said they would be more than happy to take them."_

"Once a Pound Puppy, always a Pound Puppy!" Shouted Lucky and the others as a silver tag was placed on Tera's collar. "Although I fail to see the significance of this, I know I'll always think of you whenever I see it." She commented politely. "Come on! We have so much to show you!" Shouted Ty ecstatically, following Xavier out of the pound. Mel also followed close behind, curious as to how their life was going to be like in the future. "Come back soon!" They heard Cookie yell as they all gathered to watch their departure.

The four of them walked down the street to their new house. "So, how are things going to go when we return?" Asked Mel. Tera listened, too. She didn't have the slightest clue what living with people was like. She had always observed dogs living with them when she was outdoors in the middle of the city, though she never thought she'd ever directly interact with one. She liked the warm heartful feeling she got whenever she was around him, and was quite excited on how her life was going to change. "Right. I'll find a way to make room for all four of us. I won't get too crazy, though. It'll probably be pretty hard hiding this many dogs from my dad." He said, chuckling. Mel looked upwards in confusion. "Is that all? Well, I know how to get around that. Let's just go home." She replied. She began racing ahead, too excited to wait longer. She made loud, heavy footsteps whenever she made contact with the ground hard enough.

Completely out of nowhere, a large metal cage landed above Mel, making a very loud sound, startling them all. Each of them looked upwards, and saw a man in a uniform, operating it. He quickly captured both Ty and Tera as well, using a large net. "Finally! I've been looking for you! And it looks like I found some overtime!" He said, in an almost maniacal tone. Xavier, infuriated, ran up to the man. "Hey! What exactly is going on here!?" He shouted.

"Get away, kid! This specimen is very dangerous! It has been roaming the city, putting citizens in danger, until now." The man shouted back. Xavier pointed into the net. "But those are my dogs!" He replied. The man was getting very irritated. "Not anymore! These are now the property of my company." He yelled. Without saying anything else, he walked back to a large parked van and tossed all three of them into the back. He slammed the door shut and sat down in the driver's seat. Xavier ran and chased after him. "Hey! Come back!" He called. However, the man had already driven down the street with the three pups inside.

Xavier turned around and ran back to Shelter 17. He flipped open the hidden entrance and darted into the tunnel. "Lucky!? Strudel!? Help!" He called. There was no response. "Pound Puppies!? Anyone!?" He continued. He received only silence. "Oh, no. Not now!" He shouted. He ran through the pound, frantically searching everywhere. He came back empty-handed. There wasn't a single sign of them anywhere. He ran out of the pound and into the street. Desperately, he began running in the direction the van left in an attempt to pursue it, though he quickly tired and rested against a parked car on the road. His panting became a mix between heavy breathing and a gentle sob. He was confused and didn't know what to do. He finally decided to walk back to Shelter 17 and wait for the Pound Puppies to return.

Inside the van, Ty and Tera were free to roam around the back, while Mel was still trapped within the cage. They had gotten up out of the cramped net and got their bearings. When they spotted Mel, they hurried over to her. "Are you okay?" Asked Tera. Mel responded with a simple nod. Before anything else happened, they heard a phone ring from the other side of the van, and they began hearing one side of a conversation.

They faintly heard, "Hello, boss? It's Mr. Smith. I got it. ... The cyborg I told you about! I even found some strays wandering with it. ... What do you mean all our spaces are full? ... Okay, I'll keep them with the cyborg until you tell me what to do. ... Wait, who's coming? ... Our engineers? ... What will their code do? ... Oh, that will be interesting to see." The conversation ended. "What do you think that means?" Asked Ty. "I don't know yet, but I'm hypothesizing that we've been captured by another government-run dog-catching program. Tera answered. The van made a sudden halt, throwing Ty and Tera against the wall. They also heard the sound of rattling metal outside the door.

Once they had recovered, Ty asked, "Shouldn't we be finding a way out of here?" Tera heard his question. She looked around at the cage, and walked to the door of the van. She looked through the crack and turned around. "I can probably unlock this cage and open the van door, but it'll take some time." Said Tera.

She immediately began examining the lock on the cage, as Mel watched from inside. As the trip went on, Tera had began to make progress. The constant turns and stops made it difficult to remain in one place for very long. A while later, Tera had almost unfastened the lock. The bay's average speed began to slow, and eventually, it parked. One last jolt from Tera opened the cage door and Mel could step free. "Finally! It worked!" Shouted Ty happily. However, it was already too late. Mr. Smith got out of the car and opened the back door, seeing Mel freed and the lock broken. "Wow. Your A.I. is more advanced than I thought. Alright, you're coming with me!" He shouted as he placed them all in more cages and carried them inside the large, ominous building they were now at.


	20. S3: Unexpected Development

_"Okay, come on!" Said the officer as he nudged Mel and her siblings into a pet carrier. Mel was exhausted; she and her siblings have had an eventful last few days, and they barely received any time to catch their breath. The pups reluctantly climbed into the carrier, and they locked the door. "Alright, let's go." The officer said. The next thing the pups knew, they were in the passenger seat of a police car. While the policeman drove, they all thought about what had happened to them over the past few days. The fact that they would never see their mother again was a popular thought. Mel had never been too emotionally attached to her family, though she did rely on her mother for support and comfort quite often. She was sad, but she could learn to let go. When the officer parked his car and he got out, they all felt the carrier being lifted. None of them could see much, but they suddenly felt much cooler, as if they had entered a building. "Alright, well, thanks for taking them." They heard. They also began hearing muffled voices. Their carrier was picked up once again and the door soon opened. They were emptied into a large outdoor kennel surrounded by a chainlink fence. They soon came to realize that they were in a dog pound, and they had no idea what to do._

Tera and Ty woke up, inside individual cages. They were on a tall shelf in a small, dimly lit storage closet. Once Ty completely regained consciousness, he asked, "Where's Mel?" They heard a voice from the shelf across from them. "I'm over here!" Shouted Mel. She was lower than them, keeping her out of their sight. "Where do you think we are?" Asked Ty. Tera looked around the room before answering. "My guess is the research department of that man's dog-catching facility. We heard them say that they didn't know what to do with us, since there's no room for us in the shelter. So, maybe we'll find out what will happen when we break out of here." She answered.

Ty suddenly became confused. "Break out?" How on earth are we going to... " He heard a loud noise coming from Tera's cage, and when he looked over, he found the door open. He gazed at her, amazed. Tera smiled. "Please; padlocks are easy!" She laughed. She carefully walked along the small pathway between the edge of the shelf and the cages. When she got close enough to Ty, she reached over and unlocked the lock on his cage, too. "Follow me!" She said. Ty opened the door and stepped out. Tera gradually made her way downward by gently jumping onto the shelves below. Once she was on the cold tile floor, she could finally reach the lock containing Mel. Once she reached it, they heard the doorknob to the closet twist. They quickly hid behind the shelf.

They heard a couple sets of footsteps walk in as a pillar of light was cast onto the back wall from the open door. "It's the boss, Mr. Smith. He says he wants me to tell you what to do with the cyborg." They heard a man say. "Excellent. Maybe next he can tell me what to do with those extras I found with it." He said as he grabbed Mel's cage. Tera and Ty squeezed themselves closer against the wall, trying hard not to be seen. The men began to walk back to the door with Mel. Tera peeked around the corner to see where they were. Once the men reached it, Tera whispered, "Come on!" She ran as fast as she could and followed them. The men exited the room and gently pulled the door to shut it. Tera dove and caught it before it could close. Ty smiled and marveled again at how smart she is.

Tera gently pushed the door open just wide enough for them to be able to slip through. Once they got past, they shut it completely. She looked around the room, and finally spotted the two men heading through a set of double doors. They quickly pursued them, being careful they weren't spotted. Eventually, the men stopped in a room where they left Mel, and they exited. Tera and Ty looked around, and eventually concluded that it was safe to walk to her. They both approached her cautiously, when Mel finally noticed them. "You came!" Shouted Mel. "Of course! It's why we're here." She responded as she immediately started unfastening the cage lock. Soon after, Ty suddenly nudged Tera and pointed toward the door. She stopped working on it, and they could hear the men's conversation in the adjacent room.

"Alright. The boss told me what to tell you. He says the engineers will be here soon with the deactivation code. They will then study, dismantle, experiment, and discard the cyborg. He told us to leave it on the counter in here. As for the other two, just put them to sleep. He says that there's no use sending them to another shelter." They heard. Suddenly, they became a lot more concerned about escaping. Tera immediately went back to undoing the lock. As Ty began hearing footsteps coming toward them, he began getting more nervous. "Come on, hurry up!" He urged. Annoyed, Tera responded. "I'm going as fast as I can!" She shouted. She finally opened another lock once again, and they began to hear voices approaching them from behind. The three of them hurried out of the room in the opposite direction.

"Alright, everyone! Right now, we're here live once again with Mr. Smith, who claims he had captured the elusive dog-cyborg!" Said a woman's voice. A female anchor, followed by a cameraman, Mr. Smith, his boss, and two engineers, walked into the room. As the camera was pointed at him, Mr. Smith smiled and said, "Alright, everyone! The animatronic canine I have caught is right here!" He shouted as he pointed to an empty cage. The engineers became impatient, as Mr. Smith began searching around the room for it. The anchor and cameraman looked confused, while the boss only looked furious.

Mr. Smith's smile quickly turned into a frown. "But, I promise, we contained it, and brought it here!" He claimed. The anchor quickly signed off and left. "Sir, I..." He began. But, his boss wasn't ready to hear excuses. "Smith, you incompetent idiot. I should've known this was all just a hoax. Get out of this place. You're fired!" He shouted. Mr. Smith angrily marched away. The boss turned to the engineers. "I apologize for wasting your time. You can leave." He said. They each turned and headed for the exit. The boss, however, started walking toward the storage closet to finish the job. "Ugh. I have to do everything around here." He muttered to himself.

When he arrived, he opened the door and quickly walked in. Ready to grab the two puppies, he walked to the back of the closet, only to discover two empty cages. He gasped and stepped back. "Smith might have been telling the truth!" He realized. He then pulled out a communication device. He walked out of the closet and found the engineers about to leave. "Stop! We may still need you!" He shouted to them. They eventually reluctantly agreed to help.

"Security! There's been a containment breach! The cyborg might have escaped as well. Lock down the exits and get a few officers to search the building!" Played a voice over an intercom over the whole building. "Did you hear that? We need to get to the exit. Hurry!" Shouted Tera. They had found a sign that led them to the only exit if there was a lockdown: the front entrance. They began running faster through the numerous hallways. They finally came upon the sliding glass doors just past a short, narrow opening.

Mel began to head towards the opening, but Tera stopped her. "Don't walk through there! It's a security radiometer; it detects radiation and radio waves. There's no doubt it will set off an alarm and automatically lock that door if a large enough source passes through. Due to your electronic components, you'd be a pretty big one." She shouted. Mel backed up from it in surprise. "Well then, how is Mel going to escape? There aren't any other ways out!" Asked Ty. Tera gasped and looked up at it. She hadn't thought about that problem. She sat, thinking for a short while, with the others watching in angst. However, she eventually gave up. "The machine is too high up for me to reach, so I can't disable it. I'm sorry, but there just isn't a solution this time." She answered. Tera, Ty, and Mel looked down, sadly, thinking on what to do now.


	21. S3: A Journey to Remember

**Author's note: Thank you for reading this story, and for sticking with me through this crazy season. This is the end of the story, but this doesn't mean I won't keep updating. I'll try to resume creating fan-made PP episodes, and I will continue to make extra episodes here. They won't be a new season, they'll just be additions every so often. I just feel so bad leaving this story! So, thanks for inspiring me to make this the longest story in the fandom so far, and your feedback is very much appreciated!**

 _Mel had spotted a bright brown puppy, about her age, sitting in another kennel. She thought he looked even more lonely and miserable than she did, as her siblings had all been chosen for adoption over the past week. One look at him, and she was overcome with a feeling of relatability. She wanted to let him know she was there, so she immediately began to dig underneath the fences. Digging a hole large enough for her to crawl through wasn't too difficult, as the fence was worn-down and in bad condition. Eventually, she managed to let herself into the kennel she saw him in, though the puppy didn't seem to notice. She tried to think of what to say to him, and eventually, she said, "You know, if I was human, I would have picked you." She smiled and sat down next to him. He was so touched by her words, he looked at her and returned the expression. Over the course of a few days, Mel and her new best friend had bonded and decided to ultimately pursue their new destiny to find a human together. After they escaped the pound, they ran off into the city, ready for a lifetime of adventure together._

"You two need to go on without me! You heard them; they're planning to kill you if you don't escape." Urged Mel. "But if you stay here, they'll take you apart! I'm not going!" Responded Ty, a little loudly. "And if I leave, they'll terminate all three of us. Please, you two. Leave. I'll be okay." Continued Mel, smiling. Ty, holding back tears, ran up closer to her. "We're not leaving without you, Mel. I let them kill you once; I refuse to let it happen again! I refuse to be separated from you!" He shouted. They began hearing quick footsteps draw near. "Ty, listen to me! You have to go! Please, just give me the satisfaction of knowing you're safe, for me. Nothing will trouble me more than not knowing if you two are okay." Mel continued to reply. Ty began to grow slightly angry. "Please. Please don't make me to through this again! I barely kept myself together last time!" He continued. Mel sighed and responded. "I'm doing this to protect you. I've done it once, and I'm more than willing to do it again. But, it depends on you. Please, go. Your life depends on it." She said.

Ty turned back to Tera. "Are you sure there isn't a way for her to stop giving off radiation? Please! I need to know." He asked. "The only way to stop it is to shut her down. But, if we do that, she won't be able to wake back up!" Tera replied. Ty was shocked at the answer, and thought hard about it. "If we absolutely need to do this, I would rather take her with me and shut her down than letting those men get their hands on her. At least I can control when she has to go." Ty answered sadly. Tera smiled and responded to him. "Alright, good choice. I can shut her down for you." She said. "Wait!" Shouted Ty as he ran in front of her. He then turned to Mel, ready to spend their last moment together.

"So, this is goodbye, forever. It has been nice to see you again, though. And, at least this time I got to tell you that." Ty said softly and emotionally. He finally felt tears rolling down his face, and found Mel wiping them off, smiling. "It has been nice seeing you, too. At least now, I can count on a group of friends who will remember me even while I'm gone." Replied Mel. Ty sadly but faithfully stepped back and nodded to Tera. She then stepped forward and opened the panel on the left side of Mel's body. As Tera searched for the correct wires, Ty looked back over. "I'll miss you!" He quickly said. Mel started smiling again. "I'll miss you, too." She replied. Ty looked away, devastated and heartbroken. Tera yanked her paw out of the panel, resulting in a long drone noise that eventually lowered in pitch, and Mel slowly collapsed onto the ground.

"Quick! Hurry!" Yelled Tera as she grabbed Mel and ran for the door. Ty followed, though he could barely keep up. The area they previously occupied had soon been searched by officers and security guards. Tera and Ty had made it out of the building undetected, with Mel, now lifeless and motionless, along with them. Tera, more concerned than ever, looked over at Ty. She went to go sit by him. "You know, I've never been the emotional type, but all I can say now is, don't worry. We'll all miss her." She said calmly. Ty gave a gloomy sigh. "Thank you, Tera, for giving me my friend back. You're a good friend, and you'll be a good roommate." He replied. Suddenly, they heard a very familiar voice yell to them from further down the street.

"There you are!" It shouted. They quickly looked over and found that it was coming from Lucky. They saw the Pound Puppies, followed by Xavier, running toward them quickly. Once they reached them, they all examined them, worried they might have gotten hurt. "Thank goodness we found you!" Shouted Strudel. "Are you pups okay?" Lucky joined, too. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Cookie also worriedly shouted. In their rush, none of them had noticed Ty's mood. Xavier made his way in front of the Pound Puppies. He noticed Ty facing away from them, making no noise at all. Even Tera seemed sadder. Xavier began to look around, more erratically as he continued. "Where's Mel!?" He asked hurriedly.

Tera and Ty both stepped away from each other to reveal what was left of their friend. Xavier gasped in shock and his knees fell into the floor. "What happened to her!?" He asked, horrified. Tera sighed and decided to answer him. "I'm sorry, but we had no choice but to shut her down." She said sadly. "Well, can't she be reactivated?" He replied. Tera answered by looking back at him and shaking her head. Xavier felt like becoming angry, but instead he got up, inhaled, and sighed. "Come on. We should go." He said quietly. Tera picked up her deactivated creation, making sure it wasn't left out for anyone to discover. The Pound Puppies, secretly listening to their conversation, began to walk them back to their home.

After a few minutes, they had arrived at Xavier's house on the corner of the street. "Well, here you are, safe and sound." Lucky said as he released them into their home. Xavier, about to open the front door, turned back toward them. "Thanks for walking us here. I don't know what we would do without you." He replied. Lucky looked down at the pups and answered him. "It's no problem. You three, take care of yourselves. And, just remember that we'll always be here for you." He said. As the Pound Puppies slowly walked away, Xavier finally opened the door. Noticing that their house was currently empty, he pushed the door open wider and they each stepped inside.

 _Five Days Later_

Back at Shelter 17, everything had once again returned to normal. They were back with performing adoptions and helping other dogs in need. However, they always kept their experiences with Mel, Xavier, and everyone else in the backs of their minds. Not only will they be hard to forget, but remembering them has made them stronger, and it gave them a force of perseverance.

Xavier, Ty, and Tera sat in their room, bored and clueless as to what would happen next. He had been told the story of how they escaped the facility. Upon hearing it, he was quite impressed by how they did it, but extremely disappointed that having his friend back just wasn't meant to be. They continued to sit still, trying to think on what to do. They haven't yet figured out what to do with Mel, who was upright in a default folded position. Although, something happened that startled them badly.

The body suddenly twitched, briefly but strongly. The three of them snapped out of their bored phase and looked back at it, confused. A few moments of stillness followed, and the three lied back down. It suddenly happened again, and this time when they looked back at it, they noticed a part of its luminescence was strobing very quickly, as if it was attempting to reactivate. Soon after, all of it came back on, and Mel opened her eyes and stood up.

"What? How!? That's impossible!" Shouted Tera, amazed and excited. "Ugh, where am I?" Asked Mel. Without hesitation, the three of them ran over to her to greet her again. "You're back!" Shouted Ty as he ran and hugged her extremely tightly. "Ty? Xavier? You're here! But, who's that?" She asked as she pointed to Tera. One look at her own paw suddenly scared her. She looked all over herself, and noticed most of her had been replaced with metal. "And, why am I made of metal!?" She shouted. The three of them suddenly became confused again. Tera gasped and ran toward her, realizing what must have happened. "Mel, what's the last thing you remember?" She asked urgently. "Well, I was just in the volcano with Ty, and I fell down into it, but no one's answering my questions!" She answered.

Ty, Xavier, and Tera simply smiled at each other. "It's been a long time, Mel. Something tells me we have a lot of catching up to do!" Replied Xavier. Mel found herself smiling, too. "Why? What happened? Was I gone for a while?" She teased. Ty sat down right next to her. He finally ecstatically told her, "Well, we'll tell you! Trust me, this is a journey to remember!"

 **End of Season 3**


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